From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

Posted on October 31, 2025 by bloodlinematt

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Welcome back to Rotten Ink, and boy do we have a fun and over the top “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” for you readers this time as we will be talking about Willy’s Wonderland, a very cool indie horror film that takes things like pizza restaurant “Chuck E. Cheese” and game series “Five Nights At Freddy’s” to more of the extreme and dashes in Satan and flesh eating for good measure! The film was a cult classic out of the gate and over the years gains more and more fans thanks to home media, streaming and the horror comic mini series we will be taking a look at here. For me Willy’s Wonderland is such a fun and creepy watch as I grew up going to birthday parties as places like Showbiz Pizza and Check E. Cheese that had animatronic characters singing and entertaining the customers. So if you are ready, let’s order a pizza and some soda and grab a table as Willy and his friends are about to perform and put on one killer show, and I am sure that we will have a bloody good time.

The Animatronics with the souls of dead serial killers are the villains of this series and are lead by Willy Weasel and his friends include Tito Turtle, Knighty Knight, Arty Alligator, Siren Sara, Cammy Chameleon, Gus Gorilla and Ozzie Ostrich and they are twisted and cold blooded and love to kill. Willy and his demonic animatronic crew have many ways to deal death as many have sharp claws and sharp teeth or beaks that very quickly rip and tear flesh and with these tools, they can dispatch a human very easy from major loss of blood and guts being removed with brutal fury. They also eat the human flesh and that is what helps keep them alive. In the case of Knighty Knight, he has a sword that he uses to cut off body parts or even just rams it through your body and do to his power he can deal death blows with one movement. While many of them are also strong, it’s Gus Gorilla who has more strength and can break bones and squeeze the life right out of you. While Cammy Chameleon can use her tongue to wrap around victims as well as can choke them to death and snap necks. While most of them are slow moving Siren Sara is fast and can use her speed to trap and murder her prey. And let’s not also rule out their appearance as its frightful and causes people to freeze in fear as well as cannot believe what is coming at them. They are also very sneaky and use their tricks in order to snag and kill their targets including the gift of manipulation. They can and will also kill and attack in groups but are just as deadly on their own. They are also Satanic and get their powers from a pact they made with the Devil making them very evil and mean spirited. But they are not immortal and can be killed by all sorts of ways with ripping of their heads being a big way to kill them you can also smash, crush, blow up, run over and dismember them and that will stop them as well. But while they can be defeated, Willy and his gang are very dangerous and could rank high for their killing ways in the world of From Horror Movie To Horror Comic updates.

So as you can see, Willy Weasel and his friends are killing machines and can take a human life in seconds and enjoy doing so as they eat the flesh and guts of their victims. But it’s now time to talk about the film Willy’s Wonderland that Willy Weasel is from and this is going to be a fun one! Like always, we will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts of the film. So if you are ready, let’s find our chairs as Willy and his friends are about to put on a show.

Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

“A quiet loner finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the “The Janitor” is about to discover. He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy’s and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight his way through each of them.”

G.O. Parsons worked on a horror script that was called “Wally’s Wonderland” and placed it on the website Blood List that is a website that industry workers can take a look at and vote on scripts in the horror and sci-fi genres. And that is when Screen Media Films as well as actor Nicolas Cage would step in to help produce and distribute the film, and Cage would even come on board to act in the film. Also on board were producers Jeremy Davis and Grant Cramer, and the film was gaining major attention from fans as well as horror news websites and building it up already to become a cult classic. The film would also get a name changed to “Willy’s Wonderland” and some of the killer animatronics would also change. The film would get a budget of $5 million and filming would start in February 2020 and took place in Atlanta, Georgia and a closed bowling alley was used as Willy’s Wonderland restaurant. Actors brought in include Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Caylee Cowan, Beth Grant and Chris Warner, to name a few. Once the film was ready it was scored by Emoi and it would have a limited theatrical run on February 12, 2021 and would bring in around $457,144.00 worldwide and would find cult statues via home media and streaming. The film was released that year alongside other horror films like Werewolves Within, The Night House, Antlers, Malignant, The Unholy and Halloween Kills to name a few. The film was meet with mixed reviews by critics and had better reviews by fans and the feedback also has sparked talks of a sequel that could be made in the future.

Willy’s Wonderland is one heck of a fun and gory film that packs in blood kills, creepy killer animatronics characters and even Nicolas Cage turns in a great mute performance as the badass Janitor. This was a film that I sadly missed when it had a limited run in the theaters and to be honest I am not sure what theater around here even showed it. I had to wait for the film to come to home media before seeing it, and I have to say I was a fan from the very start as you can never go wrong with a film that has killer animatronic characters running wild in a rundown fast food joint. And I have to say at first I was not going to give the film a watch as I was so sick of all the Nicolas Cage memes and how he became every ones “favorite” actor for his over the top performances and before this odd movie roles and spending choices. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Nicolas Cage and enjoy many of his moves over the years like Raising Arizona, Vampire’s Kiss, Con Air, 8mm and more, what I had an issue with was the mocking fan base who made him into a walking internet meme. For having a low budget, I feel the film did a great job of creating gore effects as well as the costumes for the killer mascots, not to even mention that the score and music by Emoi is well done and super fitting as you have to love a movie that has a theme song that is about the film and uses the title as the chorus. I also have to point out that when seeing this film actress Caylee Cowan who plays the character Kathy Barnes blew my mind on just how pretty she is and is fantastic in her role. While of course Willy Weasel is my favorite of the baddies I would say that Knighty Knight would be my next as he reminds me of a mascot I would have seen at Burger King or even a Put-Put Golf course when I was a kid, plus he has a massive sword and likes to slice and dice with it. And while I like Willy and Knighty, I have to stress I find all of the bad guy characters interesting. Can we also talk about the fact that the town allows people to die and be eaten by Willy in order to keep him in check, and that everyone seems to be in on this besides the town’s kids as the sheriff, mechanic and building owner are trick people into going inside knowing they will never get out alive…now that is truly a town with a big dirty secret. Man it seems like I have a lot to say about Willy’s Wonderland but I will wrap it up with it’s a fun film that deserves its cult following and I hope that a sequel is made soon as I would love to see it.

As you can see, Willy Weasel and his friends are one mean pack of killers who love to kill and eat their victims and you can also see that the film is a modern cult classic because it brings something fun to the killer machine subgenre. But now it’s time to take a look at the comic series and I would like to thank Game Swap Kettering having these issues in stock and making this update possible. And I also want to thank American Mythology Comics for making this comic as well as so many other series that are based on horror films and giving is horror comic readers some amazing stuff to read. I want to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head into Willy’s Wonderland for some cheap food, but I think we should stay away from the Super Happy Fun Room.

Willy’s Wonderland # 1 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 1 of 4

Three homeless people have made a shelter out of Willy’s Wonderland to escape the rain and to have a place to eat, when they are attacked, killed and eaten by Willy Weasel and his friends. A few years later Tex Macadoo has bought Willy’s Wonderland to reopen and has even hired Jeb Love to work maintenance on the animatronics and holds a sneak peek for the press and some families before that nights grand opening and the towns Sheriff as well as Deputy Eloise Lund think opening this place is a bad idea after all the murders that took place inside those walls. Once inside Knighty Knight almost chops in half a parent who just in time ducked down to tie his shoe, and no one noticed this besides the man son and Tex who ushers people out and Jeb goes to work on Knighty. The staff of Willy’s Wonderland go to work on cleaning up and getting ready for the night, when Bella who is also the young lover of Tex is killed by Willy and his friends to make a point to Tex who is then informed by Jeb that the spirits of the past owner and workers all who were murders are in side the animatronics and they need to be feed with human flesh or the whole town is in trouble and Willy Weasel is pure evil. Throughout this we also get flashbacks to killer Jerry Robert Willis who would become Willy Weasel and the past owner and Sara a dancer who killed her cheating husband and his mistress and she would go on to become Siren Sara.

The first issue of Willy’s Wonderland is a great read and does a great job of being the prequel to the film as we get to see a few of the kills that happen before the film as well as we get a look at the evil satanic killers that’s spirits end up in the animatronic characters at the restaurant. The plot of the issue is about Tex Macadoo opening back up Willy’s Wonderland after a series of murders and disappearances, only to learn that the place houses Willy Weasel and his friends who are the vessels for the spirits of satanic killers that use to work and own the restaurant. Tex Macadoo is a man who had big dreams of making big money, but soon finds out that he has instead opened a nightmare for those who come to eat and play games there as well as he now has a curse on his hands. Jeb Love who is the town’s mechanic as well as maintenance guy for the reopened Willy’s and is also the one who figures out and has to tell Tex about Willy and his flesh eating friends. Willy Weasel and his friends are very cold blooded and enjoy killing and eating their victims and do so very mean spirited, they in fact kill a young female staff member just to show Tex that they mean business and need to feed and need to kill. I really like that they give the backstory for Jerry Robert Willis who was a serial killer of families that he would trick them by acting as if he is a photographer of family portraits, and then he would butcher them all…he of course would end up becoming Willy Weasel. We also get a look at Sara who was a dancer who during a performance learns that her lover is cheating on her with another dancer and she kills them both and shows off their bodies on stage. We also see that Jerry and Sara both are at the same mental asylum and are becoming friends as they are both monsters inside. The issue is filled with lots of blood and gore that will surely make Horror Comic readers happy. The cover is great and very eye catching for the fans of the film and the interior art done by Puis Calzada is top notch as I like the way he draws Willy and his friends as well as the brutal killings the commit. Over all this is a great first issue and has me hooked on wanting to see what is next.

Willy’s Wonderland # 2 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 2 of 4

Business is going good at the newly reopened Willy’s Wonderland but reports of people going missing in the town start going around including one man who Willy Weasel kills outback behind the restaurant. The Sheriff and Deputy come to investigate and Tex makes up a story and they leave him be for the time being. Meanwhile a little later another staff worker that is cleaning the bathroom is brutally killed by Tito Turtle and Arty Alligator as they are hungry and he was in the wrong place at the right time for them as it was lunchtime! Meanwhile a rich man comes in with lots of money and wants to rent Willy’s Wonderland for the night in order for his Grandson and his friends to have a sleepover for his Birthday…Tex agrees but knows this is a bad idea. While the party is going on, one of the female staff is having to chase around some kids and when they get away she is killed by Siren Sara. And a little later Jed locks two parents who are complaining about the pizza in a closet were they are murdered by Knighty Knight and Cammy Chameleon, as they are hungry and just want to kill. But things go really wrong when the Birthday Cake comes out and is a severed head and Willy Weasel and the rest of his friends go on a killing spree killing kids, parents and staff in a blood frenzy. Two staff members escape as does Tex and Jed, and when the Sheriff shows up he warns Tex that he can not cover up this slaughter and that the restaurant is now closed for good. We also are treated to the human background stories of Arty Alligator, Gus Gorilla and Cammy Chameleon.

The body count rises, and Willy Weasel and his friends are more blood thirsty in this second issue of Willy’s Wonderland! The plot of this issue has a sleepover-taking place at the restaurant and what should be a happy birthday party with friends and family together turns into a bloodbath when Willy and the rest need to feed on flesh and chaos. And this issue is filled with lots of blood and gore that includes people being ripped in two, flesh is bitten off and people are chopped in half by a sword…as you can see this one is filled with violence. The backstories we get in this issue are also very interesting as we get a look at the humans that would become the killer animatronics. Gus Gorilla is a man who worked at the zoo who is pushed to hard by his boss who likes to call him names plus miss treats him, and she then finds herself being punched to death till her face caves in. We also see that Cammy Chameleon is a woman in the Asylum that has split personalities. And we see that Arty Alligator was a serial killer who after murdering people would use their blood to paint pictures on the walls. We also see that these three end up becoming friends with Jerry Robert Willis and Sara in the asylum and that Jerry is having control over them and has them play twisted games while locked up. Tex Macadoo makes a big mistake in this issue as he knows that Willy wants to kill and has been killing but because of money he allows a over night birthday party to take place at the restaurant and this leads to a lot of people dying. It’s also made clear that Tex and Jed are paying off the Sheriff in order to not look to deep into the missing person cases that are happing and that the police force is as greedy as Tex is. The cover is very cool and features Gus Gorilla and Tito Turtle and connects to issue one to build a scene of the stage. Once more the interior art is done by Puis Calzada and is great stuff as once more the way he draws Willy and friends is great, plus he sure can draw some crazy murder! Another fun, spooky, gory and simple issue that does Willy’s Wonderland the film justice, let’s see what issue three has in store for us.

Willy’s Wonderland # 3 ***
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 3 of 4

At the home of the man who has been hired to demolish the Willy’s Wonderland building they are attacked and killed brutally by Gus Gorilla, Tito Turtle and Cammy Chameleon as they are not going to allow their home and feeding ground to be destroyed. A few nights later The Sheriff and Deputy Lund head to Willy’s and find Tex Macadoo inside dirty and very much in distress over the slaughter that took place there and that he witnessed, the officers get him out of the building as Willy watches them do so from the shadows. But the town is now a slaughter house as Willy sends his friends out to kill and feast on the townspeople with Tito Turtle and Arty Alligator killing the hardware store owner, Knighty Knight and Cammy Chameleon kill the ice cream man, Siren Sara and Gus Gorilla kills the High School Janitor and his lady and finally Willy along with all the others head to the basketball game and kill and attack the players as well as the fans and are chased off by The Sheriff and Deputy who now know they have to head to Willy’s Wonderland and fight with these monsters. Tex wakes up in the garage of Jed who informs him that this nightmare is far from over while the surviving staff get together and arm themselves as they want to bring down Willy for taking their friends life. We also get the human background story for Knight Knight, Tito Turtle and Ozzie Ostrich plus we get to see how Jerry Robert Willis is able to get more and more psychos in his group from the asylum.

The third issue is very entertaining as the plot has Willy Weasel and his friends going on a killing rampage in the town to show that they mean business and that no one will ever destroy their home and hunting ground and if something does happen then they will be free roaming in the town killing anyone they want. Poor Tex Macadoo is really upset about the massacre that took place at his restaurant and is drinking his sorrows away, but is more horrified when he learns that he will have to keep helping them feed. A cool subplot that is happening as well is the two staff that survived the massacre gearing up in order to avenge their friends by killing Willy and the gang. Willy Weasel is clearly calling the shots as he sends his friends out in groups in order to kill as many people as possible that night and you can tell he is doing so to prove that he is in charge and that the humans need to also live in fear of his wrath and hunger. Siren Sara also shows that she is a cold blooded killing machine as between her and Gus Gorilla I think they seem to be having the most fun killing. This issue is very bloody and is packed with gore and kills and some of downright gruesome as one kill has them using a ice cream scoop on the eyes of a victim with another having Willy smash in a basketball players face with a basketball. The human origin stories we get this issue are for Ozzie Ostrich who was a killer that choked his victims to death due to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother. We see that Knighty Knight worked at a renascence festival and finally snaps from taking verbal abuse from some of the guests and snaps and kills them with his sword. And we see that Tito Turtle was a field worker who killed all his sleeping co-workers one night. And with them Jerry Robert Willis has seven followers who he friends them all do to their killing ways. The cover is another great one that fits in with the first two issues to build the stage and on this issue the main focus is Knighty Knight and Cammy Chameleon. The interior art is done by Puis Calzada and is great stuff like before and more Horror Comic publishers should be hiring this guy. Another fantastic issue, and I cannot wait to see what the next issue has in store for us as we know a big clash is bout to go down!

Willy’s Wonderland # 4 ***
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 4 of 4

The Sheriff, Deputy Lund and Tex gets the town people together all armed and head into Willy’s Wonderland in order to get revenge for all the killings, but they are unprepared as Willy Weasel and his friends slaughter everyone including the two surviving staff members and they make sure to do so in very bloody and sick ways almost tormenting and taunting people as they murder them. Once inside Jed Love arrives as Willy Weasel and his friends stand behind him and he tells Tex and Deputy Lund the other two survivors that it’s simple if they all want to live all they need to do is feed them buy giving them people and in front of them gives Willy and the rest a family…but not before Lund takes the young girl from the sacrificed family as she can not bare for her to be slaughtered. In the end some time has passed and Jed with the help of Tex and now Sheriff Lund bring a man to Willy’s Wonderland after he ran over a bed of nails. The man is clearly the brother of The Janitor who is the lead character in the film. This issue also showcases how Jerry Robert Willis along with the rest of his psycho friends are able to escape the asylum and by doing so they kill a ton of nurses, orderlies and even the Doctor before stealing a truck and making the big break were they find the building and plan on opening Willy’s Wonderland.

This is truly the final showdown between the town and the evils of Willy’s Wonderland that sadly ends with evil being the winner as Willy Weasel and his friends massacre everyone who goes against them and then forces those who survive that have some sort of power to now work for them by bringing them people to kill and eat. Willy Weasel is a true evil mastermind as he both as a human and as a killer animatronic called all the shots of his friends who will do whatever he orders and he really is a very dangerous and evil person or should I say thing? His friends as well are all very dangerous with each of them having their own ways of dealing death to victims and I would say that Siren Sara, Gorilla Gus, Knighty Knight and Tito Turtle are some of the more violent ones with all the others following behind them with Arty Alligator almost being in this series one of the most violent as he even at one point drives an axe into the skull of a man. Finally in this issue as well the Sheriff and Tex Macadoo try and do the right thing after three issues of allowing money to control their bad decisions that lead to many people dying. It’s odd that in the comic series Jed Love is very much connected to Willy Weasel and his friends and almost seems like he is friends with them and is not bothered by feeding them people, when in the movie he almost seems like he hated what he had to do and feared them. It’s also interesting to watch Eloise Lund go from hero Deputy to by the end becoming Sheriff and going along with the idea of leading people into Willy’s grip. Plus we have to mention that its clear that The Janitor’s brother was a victim of Willy Weasel and maybe that is why he was driving around that part of the state as he might have been looking for his brother, and for those who don’t know The Janitor is the character Nicolas Cage plays in the movie. The issue is very bloody and gore filled as is the whole series, and it does a good job of doing the film justice even though it does make some changes when it comes to the looks of the killers that would become the animatronic killers as the comic and film versions look very different from each other. The cover for this issue is cool and is the final part of the stage and shows Arty Alligator and Siren Sara being all murderous, and once more Puis Calzada does the interior art and it’s fantastic stuff. I think that Willy’s Wonderland makes for a great comic series, and I hope that more issues are released in the future as this film’s character make for great source material for quality Horror Comics. Check out some of the artwork below to see the style used by Puis Calzada in this mini series.

As you can see, Willy’s Wonderland made for a great horror comic mini-series, and it did a great job of also showing the history of the human versions of the killers and tells about their horrific crimes that lead them into an asylum and into the grips of the future Willy Weasel. And I have to give American Mythology one more shout out for being a cool indie comic company and doing these comic based on all types of horror films. If you have not read these comics, go check them out as I think if you are a fan of the film you will really enjoy this series, and if you have not seen the film ,make sure to do so as it’s a fun bloody ride. Well now that we have escaped Willy’s Wonderland and have drunk a few Punch Soda’s I think I should let you know that our next update will keep with the Spooky Horror Theme as we will be talking about my best Horror Games Countdown for the Sony Playstation! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. Man I cannot wait for the next update as talking about horror video games is a perfect way to kick off our countdown to Thanksgiving right?

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

Posted on October 12, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we are entering The Conjuring Universe for this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. Shockingly enough it took until 2021for New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers to allow DC Comics to make a comic series based around the films, and I say shocking as they are all owned by the same parent company Discovery! And to be honest, I am very shocked on how little DC Comics and New Line Cinema have come together as they could truly use comic books to help promote their upcoming horror films. But sadly I feel that the big two in the world of comics lack imagination, and horror comics, as well as comics based on horror films their parent companies own, just are not a priority nor even cross their minds. So with that, let’s sit back and be ready to be scared as we enter the world of The Conjuring 3!

Before we talk about the film, let’s talk about Isla The Occultist and her ways of dealing death and conjuring the demons of Hell. Isla is the daughter of Father Kastner and had become obsessed with the occult and her studies has made her very powerful in black magic, placing curses and conjuring demons all to do her dirty work and cause chaos on the living that have crossed her path. Isla is a Satanist and Occultist who grew up obsessed with things on the dark side and as she has gotten older, she has made a deal with demons and uses cursed totems to place a target on random people in order to please them. Her black magic is very strong and allows her to allow demons to enter the bodies of her victims and cause them to do bad things from murder to suicide. She has a almost second sight and can see what others who have her gifts can see and this makes her dangerous as if you are a threat to her, she can find your location and send a sinister curse your way. She can also make her victims thank they are seeing things and have them attack their own loved ones and friends, as Isla is a master of mind games. But while she is a scary magical person she is still mortal and can be killed like any normal person via being stabbed, shot, drowned, burnt or beaten! She also has to use her altar to control her powers and if it’s destroyed her spells and deals with demons are broken and with the demons this could lead them turning on her and bringing her death. While she is mortal, her dark power makes her very dangerous and a person you would not want to be the target of unless you want a demon to take over your soul.

So as you can see, Isla The Occultist is very deadly due to her dark magic and can cause people extreme pain as well as death. Now I think we should take a look at the film she is from and that’s of course The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It, the third film in the series. Like always, the film’s plot will be taken from our friends at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on it. So if you are ready, let’s hope that Isla has not cursed this update and take a look at this film.

The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

“A chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.”

The Conjuring films that follow the cases of real life paranormal investigators The Warrens are one of New Line Cinema’s top Horror Franchises that has even had film spin-offs that have as well did good at the box office. And in 2016, a third film in the main series was being talked about by the film series creator James Wan, who at first mentioned that the film could be about the Warren’s famed Werewolf case, and in May 2017 it was said that the third film would not be another haunted house fright flick and would be one of the bigger cases of The Warrens careers and would take place in the 80s. And by June of 2017 New Line Cinema gave the third film the green light and it started production with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick being hired to write the script, and in 2019 James Wan came on to help co-write the script as he was not directing. They brought in Michael Chaves in to do so, and that the film would be based on the court case where a young man claimed a demon made him commit murder, and the Warrens backed up his claims. When casting the film Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson returned as The Warrens and names like Ruairi O’Connor, Debbie Glatzel, John Noble and Eugenie Bondurant was brought on board in big roles. The film was shot in Atlanta, Georgia and had a few setbacks due to the pandemic and even one of the film’s demon characters was removed from the film fully. Once done the film was scored by Joseph Bishara and was released in theaters as well as HBO Max on June 4, 2021 and did really well world wide for New Line Cinema bringing in $201,965,074.00 on a budget of $39 million. The film was released that year with other Horror Films like “Halloween Kills”, “Candyman”, “Forever Purge”, “Army Of The Dead”, “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “Quiet Place II” and “Don’t Breath 2” to name a few. And the film ranked # 22 out of 33 for my Matt Goes To The Movies 2021 Horror Movie rankings and was # 19 that year at the US Box Office.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was a film that both Juliet and I was very much looking forward to seeing in theaters as we have been fans of the series from the start and we even enjoy all the spin off movies. We saw the film by renting out a Cinemark Theater and we invited some of our closest friends to watch it with us on the big screen. And when the film was over, we all enjoyed it but we all also agreed that this was missing the touch of James Wan and while it did a good job of showing another case of The Warrens, it also just seemed a bit off and not as spooky as the first two films in the main series as the stakes did not seem as high and the main spirit and villain just was not as powerful or iconic as others they have faced before. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson I do have to say are fantastic once more as Ed and Lorraine Warren and without them in these Conjuring films I feel that the series just would not work. So while this one was not the best in the series, watching them work adds to the enjoyment of the film. And even after all this time and watching the film again once on home media I still found the film good but lacking and I truly do think that it all falls onto Isla The Occultist as she just seems to lack motivation, any kind of backstory and is just not as scary nor threatening as any of the other villains from this cinematic universe. I should also say that some moments of the film do pack a scare and the film does play at your heartstrings as Ed Warren suffers a massive heart attack and there is a fear of him passing. And with this film not getting a very mixed response from critics and fans I am hoping that New Line Cinema will pull out all the stops when they do part four and make it a truly scary viewing experience, as I would love to see the next film be about Bill Ramsey, a man who was possessed by a wolf-spirit that made him act like a werewolf! And while it was my least favorite of the films, I am not saying that you should not watch it as the film is a enjoyable watch and you should check it out if you like the other films in the series or just like films about possessions and demons.

So as you can see, the third film in The Conjuring film series was a hit at the box office even after being released during the pandemic as well as also streaming at the same time on HBO Max and would be the one that finally got the films to get a comic mini series. And with that I would like to say a big thanks for Game Swap Kettering for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So with that, let’s dive in and take a look at The Conjuring: The Lover series that is about Isla The Occultist.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 1 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 1 of 5

It’s 1981 and Jessica wants to drop out of college as she is back from break to start her classes again but her mother is not happy about it as she wants her daughter to be something big in life, and when her mother meets Kyle one of Jessica’s classmates she tries to tell her to also look for a boyfriend! Once back at school Jessica feels lonely and annoyed by everything around her as her grades are low, her roommate brings her boyfriend home and Kyle has a crush on her…and worse of all it is that unknown to her Isla has places a curse on her. And it’s clear that something is watching her and following her as Jessica is missing home and her friend Katie. As Katie drifts off to sleep above her bed something evil is watching over her.

This is an interesting story this far and is about a young college girl who hates being away from home as well as her best friend Katie who she clearly likes more than just a friend. And while Jessica is battling her own depression something wicked is following her around looking for the right moment to attach it’s self to her and cause her harm. Jessica is a young woman who’s depression is causing her to have bad grades as well as not make friend easy as she seems to always be in a slump and want to stay away from her fellow classmates. Her mother is a little rough on her but you can tell it’s all out of love, as she just wants so much more for her daughter. Kyle seems like a good guy who just wants to get to know Jessica as it’s clear he has a crush on her and would like to be her boyfriend as her roommate Tammy as well seems like a nice person just a little carless. Isla The Occultist is around and has placed a curse on Jessica and to do so she has even killed a goat in order to please the dark spirit that is now hunting the young collage girl. So far this main story is a little spooky and is building up the suspense of what is going to happen to Jessica and the people around her. The issue also has a backup story that is based around an item from the Warrens Artifact Room with one being about The Ferryman and his coin, a short and pretty creepy little tale that has a man looking for the coin he stole off a dead body when he was a kid and now The Ferryman has followed him around and killed everyone he loves until he gets it back. So far so good as I have found myself enjoying this first issue and wanting to see what is next for Jessica! The cover for this issue is pretty cool and showcases Isla and the interior art for the main story is done by Garry Brown and is pretty cool and has a classic feel to it but also has that modern creepy look that much of the newer indie horror comics have. And with that I am jumping into issue two and to see how this story is going to unfold.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 2 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 2 of 5

Jessica is in the shower and is hearing voices and even seeing things as she thinks that she gets burnt by the hot water that of course is not that hot, and this causes fellow female classmates to think she is weird. Jessica ends up calling Katie who is back home working two jobs and who makes Jessica promise to go to the next party she is invited to, and it just so happens that Kyle asks her to one and she goes and she tries to have fun but the demon voice in her head keeps saying very mean and nasty things to her. Kyle kisses Jessica at the party and this makes her panic and she walks home alone in the snow to find her roommate home as well, and as the two head off to bed the demon voice will not leave her alone and taunts her to try and kill him as now she is seeing it’s shadow and red glowing eyes and this drives her to grab a pair of scissors off the nightstand to protect her self and unknown to Jessica the person she is about to stab is not the demon but Tammy her sleeping roommate!

This is another very interesting issue as we follow Jessica who is now being plagued by a demon that is allowing her to see it in shadows and is as well talking to her in her thoughts and is even driving her to see things that are not there! The Demon is super mean spirited and is playing on all of Jessica’s fears and inner demons and wants to break her down and feel as if she is alone and no one loves her…this of course is un-true but to a depressed young woman dealing with her sexuality this is really beating her down. Jessica is a likable character as she is odd but is a good person who is quit and it’s clear that she really just wants to be home with Katie and not being hounded by the pressures of school and making new friends. And you have to feel for poor Tammy at this point as she might just get stabbed with scissors while she sleeps in Jessica don’t break the illusion that the demon is making her see. And imagine if Tammy wakes up before Jessica can break the hold or even stab her, as this will make everyone at the college think Jessica is psycho! Isla is truly evil as she is making this young woman’s life even more complicated and is leading her to a patch of murder, death and damnation. This issue as well has a cool backup story form the Warren’s Artifacts this time about The Bloody Bride and her cursed wedding dress. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and haunting and the main interior artwork is once more done by Garry Brown and is great stuff as he is capturing the slow brooding mood that has made the film series special over the years. Over all another solid issue and it has done its job as I am hooked on seeing were this story goes.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 3 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 3 of 5

Jessica is in the dean’s office with Tammy who woke up to find her roommate over her with a pair of scissors, and this causes Tammy to move out and for Jessica to be all alone in the room…and while trying to eat lunch at the school cafeteria the demon once more makes her see things and act out making even more of her classmates think she is crazy or on drugs. Jessica tries to call Katie who is not home and she finds herself at the library were she meets Isla who is working their and takes her to the basement to find books on the occult as Jessica thinks she is possessed and under faking caring Isla wants to help, but soon she shows her true attentions and this causes Jessica to freak out and rush to her dorm to call her mother to come pick her up…but her mother refuses thinking her daughter is just stressed and hangs up on her. Jessica sits alone in her room for days even thinking bugs are crawling on her and her only glimmer of hope is when Kyle stops by her room and takes her out to eat. On the way back to her dorm Kyle tells Jessica how much he likes her and Jessica starts to come out to him, but she has a vision and Kyle becomes Isla with a knife and Jessica shoves her into the street but in reality she has just shoved Kyle in front of a bus.

This third issue the demon and Isla have turned up the torture factor on Jessica and are more and more playing with her mind making her not only hear more and more negative things but are really starting to make her see things that are not there as well as see those around her as demonic enemies. Jessica is loosing her mind as well as grip on reality as she is not eating, not attending classes and is acting out in harmful ways to her friends causing her roommate to leave and at the end of this issue leaving us on a cliffhanger of pushing Kyle in front of a bus. It also appears that Katie is not around for her as much as Jessica would like as her friend is holding down two jobs and having a life of her own back in their home town, and it also shows that Jessica’s mom is not their for her daughter as well as she hangs up on her when she is begging to come home. Kyle is a good guy who clearly cares for Jessica as he is the one who checks on her and makes sure she has food in her belly and know that some one cares about her. It will be interesting to see if he is killed or hurt by the bus and how he will react if he survives this attempted murder that was by accident. The demon as well is allowing Jessica to see more of it and Isla is now being apart of this torture as she has allowed herself to be seen and is enjoying playing with this young girls mind. The backup story this time around is about the Accordion Monkey that is found in the Warrens artifacts. The cover is nice and spooky as it shows that cursed Accordion Monkey and the main interior art is still great and done by Garry Brown again who I must say draws a cool looking demon. Yet another solid issue and a nice cliffhanger ending, so with that let’s head to issue four and see what Isla and the demon have planned for Jessica.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 4 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 4 of 5

Kyle is able to get out of the way of the bus and is very upset and goes off on Jessica calling her a psycho and to stay away from him, and this incident leads to the dean to kick Jessica out of collage and forces her to move back home with her parents. While Jessica’s dad is caring her mother is ashamed of her and thinks she got kicked out on purpose. But even while home the demon speaks to her and shows up when she is alone in her room causing her to yell out and her father to come to her side. Jessica has a talk with her father who tells her that he knows what she is going through and that she needs to call Katie as she is the one that will truly understand. Jessica calls Katie to tell her she has returned home and the two make plans to meet up that night in the woods, and once together they share a kiss…but Katie soon turns into Isla and Jessica fights back and stabs her attacker that sadly turns out to be her lover Katie as the illusions have tricked her again and caused her to kill the one person she cared the most about.

Poor Jessica just can not catch a break as she has been accused by two students of trying to kill them, gets kicked out of school, has a mother who thinks she is just looking for attention and worse has a demon and an Occultist trying to ruin her life and drive her into madness. And Jessica has not true support besides her father and Katie and the demon makes sure that Katie is taken out of her life for good. Jessica clearly has no hope and no one to help her break this curse and the only route she has right now is damnation and that’s sad as all she wanted was happiness with someone she loved. Katie is a good friend as well as had the same feelings for Jessica, but is just used in this sick game of Isla as a pawn to be murdered very violently with a big knife. The demon and Isla have now pushed Jessica to the point of no return and it’s clear that they have won her soul as well as have had he take a life for their own entertainment. Her father is a good man who loves his daughter and will do what he can to protect her as well as be there for her, and understands that she is having a hard to of coming to grips about her love for another woman. Her mother who I at first thought was acting mean as a way of tough love is just truly a bad person who cares more about her self than her daughter’s mental and physical health. This issue is the bloodiest so far as Jessica stabs Katie to death in the woods and the attack is pretty brutal for a main stream DC Comic release. The backup story for this issue is The Sleeping Song and the music box that is found in the Warrens Artifacts.The cover for this issue is great and captures that Conjuring mood and feel, and you know what I am going to say about the art done by Gary Brown being good so I will skip the broken record for you. Another great issue and this one leads us to the final issue in the series and one that we all know how it will end if you seen the third Conjuring film, so with that let’s take a look at issue five.

The Conjuring: The Lover # 5 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 DC Comics # 5 of 5

Jessica is in shock as she stands over the dead body of her lover Katie, but to her horror the body starts to move as the demon has taken control of it and it chases Jessica through the woods to a cliff that is above raging water below. The demon Katie tries to push for Jessica to admit to herself that she hated being in love with Katie and that she all along wanted Katie to die so that she could close that chapter of her life and be alone…Jessica stands up to the demon and tells of the first time she and Katie meet and how the each had feelings for each other but were both to scared to make the first move. The demon keeps pushing Jessica to admit she hates herself and that she hated that she loved Katie and finally the demons words break her down and Jessica jumps to her death to the water below. In the cliff the demon Katie morphs into Isla who thanks Jessica for committing suicide and heads back to her alter and places another curse this time on a young child as our comic tale ends.

I have to say this first I really enjoyed this Conjuring comic book mini series and to be honest I think I even like it better than the third film it’s a prelude to! As for those of you who don’t know the tragic case of Jessica and Katie is mentioned in the film and this murder suicide plays a big part in the film, and while we only hear and briefly see the events in the film this comic book flushes it out and gives a backstory to the characters. You really do have to feel for Jessica as she is tormented and driven into a deeper depression throughout this series, as by the end of this comic you find that she hates herself and had no one to truly come to about it. While she loved Katie she also hated Katie as being homosexual in the early 80’s was more taboo and people would judge and hate you for it. And Jessica who already was an odd person who had a terrible mother already had that pressure of being not a letdown in life. While you read Jessica’s story here you are cheering for her to break the curse but in the back of your mind you know its not going to end well. Isla The Occultist picked Jessica because she was a lover, a lover who had deep feelings but was very easy to corrupt and trick into killing the one she cared for as well as talked into ending her own life. Isla truly used some very mean spirited mind games and with the help of the demon they were able to ruin that young woman’s life in no time and also was able to complete a part of a packed that had made. It’s also kind of telling just how much joy it seemed Isla was getting from doing this and it makes you even more sick when she thanks the young woman at the end for jumping…she is truly evil and selfish. The back up story for this issue is The Chalice, another artifact found in the Warrens collection of haunted things, and these bonus stories were also a very nice touch as they added scares to your reading experience. The cover for this issue is very dark and brooding and has Jessica running through the woods toward her fate. The main interior artwork by Garry Brown really is good stuff and fitting as I find that his style was a good choice for showing demonic spirits as well as a person’s mental breakdown from being cursed. I feel that this five issue mini series really did do The Conjuring film series justice and I hope that DC Comics decides to make more mini series in this universe as they did a great job here. Checkout the artwork below to see they style that Garry Brown used in this series.

The Conjuring Universe really does lend itself to being made into comic books as I would love to see DC Comics not only continue this series but also do comics based on the spin-offs like The Nun, Annabelle and even the Crooked Man as all of them could truly make for some spooky reads, as I am not going to lie I would really love to see a very dark and spooky comic mini series based around The Nun. And again I think DC Comics for their horror comics should dig deep into what they own as many of their films would make for great comics in these modern times. I also would like to share that in The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It film actress Ingrid Bisu plays Jessica and Andrea Andrade played Katie. But as you can see, our update has come to an end and before we part ways here I would like to let you know that the next update will take us to the Rotten Ink Arena as we take a look at that Iconic Horror Themed Wrestler Vampiro! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we take a look at one of my favorite Luchadors who is a perfect fit to cover this Halloween season.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

Posted on February 22, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update and for this one I will be taking a look at the battle of the worlds two most popular Kaiju those being Godzilla and King Kong and their battle that took place in 2021 in the theaters thanks to Legendary Pictures, and like all good monster movies this film spawned not one but two comic graphic novels to help promote the film and each one showcased the individual monsters before they even meet up on the silver screen. And before we get into this update I want you to think about which of these Giant Monsters is your favorite now and growing up even, as truly here in America these two are the Titans that made the biggest impact in not only movies but culture and they still have massive loyal followings and both have made impacts worldwide. So with that let’s take a look at Godzilla vs. Kong and the two graphic novels this film spawned.

So to start this off right lets take a look at both Godzilla and King Kong and their styles of battle and killing! And we will start off first with Godzilla who stands at 393 feet tall and weighs over 90,000 tons and is a massive destruction Kaiju who lets nothing stand in his way. He is very aggressive as he wants to be the Alpha Titan and will attack any creature or human base that stands in his way of ruling as if he views you as a threat he will kill. Godzilla is massive in size and can crush people and things under his feet, his massive tail can also kill and destroy people and can be used as a weapon against other Kaiju’s that he comes across. Godzilla’s look also is very scary and this can freeze people in fear and this could lead to their deaths. While Godzilla don’t target humans for the most part those who are in his way learn that he can deal them the death card. Godzila also has super powerful atomic breath that can burn through the Earth, can level buildings and can burn humans to bits as well as can cause serious damage to fellow Giant Monsters that get into his way. Godzilla will also use his teeth and claws to attack and they both as well can cause some big damage to his fellow monsters. He can be fast on land when in a rage, but is always super fast in the water swimming. Godzilla is also smart but one of his weakness is that he is driven by instinct and as well ego as he wants to be the top Alpha among Kaiju and will kill any other creature that gets in his way and opposes his rule. But because of this drive he also heads straight into battle and will not stop until he or the other creature is dead. Godzilla can be hurt as well by atomic blasts, giant battle axes as well as attacks from other Giant Monsters. Godzilla does not have much weakness and this is why many call him King Of The Monsters.

King Kong while more friendly to mankind still is a Kaiju and can deal death to those that cross him or those he cares about. Kong is super powerful as he can use his strength to overpower his fellow Kaiju as well as can smash human war machines like planes. And do to his size standing 335 feet and weighs around 50,000 tons and this size alone makes him a wrecking machine if he chooses to be. Kong’s look that is a massive gorilla can also strike fear in the hearts of humans as they fear that he could smash them with his feet, hands and his razor sharp teeth is a frightful sight as Kong lets out his massive roar. Kong is super fast and moves much faster then Kaiju like Godzilla, and Kong is also very smart and can use his environment to his advantage. Kong also uses weapons wither it’s something like a tree or his trusty battle-axe that he finds in Middle Earth he is truly a force of nature that can deal death to humans and Kaiju if he chooses. He is an Alpha when it comes to Kaiju and he knows that he really is a King among them. But while Kong is massive he does have some weaknesses like that fact he is caring towards humans he bonds with, he can be hurt via atomic breath, he can be cut by fellow Kaiju’s teeth and claws and because he has normal skin he can be hurt badly by this. Kong also can be sent into a rage as he is a Alpha and that means he does have an ego that can lead him into fights that he might not win if not planned out. Kong also can hold his breath for a while but can be drowned and smothered, as he does need air in his lungs to survive. While Kong has some weakness it’s a matter of luck in order of getting the best of him and he truly is one of the most powerful Kaiju’s due to his smarts, strength and speed.

As you can see both Godzilla and Kong as super dangerous if they want to be to humans, but to be honest they both in the Legendary Monsterverse series acts as protectors to humans and only kill them when attacked or protecting…and well by accident. But as you can see when it comes to other Kaiju’s they can and will kill them to be the Alpha and to be the protectors that their instincts tell them to be. Well I think its time to take a look at the film that pitted these two against each other from 2021 and as always the films write up will be taken from our pals at IMDB and after that I will write about the films production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s chat about Godzilla vs. Kong an epic Kaiju film for the ages.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

“Legends collide as Godzilla and Kong, the two most powerful forces of nature, clash on the big screen in a spectacular battle for the ages. As a squadron embarks on a perilous mission into fantastic uncharted terrain, unearthing clues to the Titans’ very origins and mankind’s survival, a conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.”

Godzilla vs. Kong had seeds planted in 2015 when Legendary Pictures was able to get Universal to let Warner Brothers release the King Kong reboot that they were working on as they had already done Godzilla with WB in 2014 and fans knew that Kong would be joining the planned Monsterverse and finally they announced that yes a Godzilla vs. Kong film would be in the works after a few films would be released based on them both in order to build up the showdown. And this caused Kaiju fans to be cheering so loud for this giant monster showdown, but they were told it would not come out until 2020…so a wait was in store for us all as they confirmed this in late 2015. The next major news came in 2017 when they hired Adam Wingard to direct the film and he was a good choice as he already had films “A Horrible Way To Die (2010)”, “You’re Next (2011)”, “Blair Witch (2016)” and “Death Note (2017)” under his belt and at one point he was even selected by Peter Jackson to be the director of his never made sequel to the 2005 King Kong remake. Next they started working on the script and after many ideas and rewrites it was Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein who got the job based on the stories of Michael Dougherty, Terry Rossio and Zach Sheilds and they all added elements from the past three films in the shared universe. And in 2017 through 2018 they started also casting parts in the film with Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler coming back in their roles and names like Julian Dennison, Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Eiza Gonzalez and Brian Tyree Henry among others all getting roles in key parts. The film began filming on November 12, 2018 and took place in Hawaii and Australia and was your normal big budget film shoot with reshoots coming later to even add and help to the story. And from there the film had the visual effects added by a massive team-up from companies Moving Pictures Company, Scanline VFX and Weta Digital and this had to be done by so many companies as Warner Brothers really wanted to release the film in 2020 like they first promised. And then the film was scored by Tom Holkenborg who did a fantastic job of adding new sounds to already iconic songs in some pieces and his new songs are fantastic. The film had big promotion around it and posters were shown and Comic Con even got to see a clip and the buzz around the film was at a fever pitch as fans wanted to see it bad, and when pictures of the toys by Playmates based on the film leaked on line it was on as new character where shown and fans started wondering what these new Kaiju were. But sadly Godzilla vs. Kong was not released in 2020 due to the pandemic and movie theaters world wide had to shut down in order to slow down the virus. And the film was pushed to 2021 and even then people thought that it might not even be release until 2022! But the film did make it to the theaters on March 31, 2021 and even with the annoying pandemic still being around it did really well at the Box Office, but on the same day released in theaters Warner Brothers and there parent company AT&T also decided to put the film on their terrible streaming service HBO Max and this was cool for people who was scared to go to theaters due to the virus and was understandable at the time. The film did $467,863,133.00 worldwide via its theater run and was # 2 for the year at the Box Office in America and was released alongside other films like “The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It”, “The Suicide Squad”, “Candyman”, “Mortal Kombat”, “Snake Eyes”, “The Green Knight”, “Chaos Walking” and many more. The film was pretty well loved by both critics and fans and was the first big movie for theaters once they were able to open once more. And once on home media I of course bought it and have watched a couple of times sense its release.

Godzilla vs. Kong was one of the films of 2021 that I was most looking forward to as it was one that my gal Juliet and I would talk about all the time as well as many of my friends as we all debated and took sides on who they wanted to win the big fight! And our household was split as Juliet was team Godzilla and I was team Kong and even before the films release I ordered us both shirts that featured the Kaiju we were cheering for, and yes, we wore them when we went and seen the film at a Cinemark Theater. I invited many of my friends as well to watch the film and it was a blast seeing it in the theater and all of us had a great time eating popcorn, snacks and having some drinks all the while watching the monsters battle on the silver screen for our entertainment. And while Kong should have won the fight I enjoyed the heck out of the film and that’s why it ranked #2 on my Matt Goes To The Movies 2021 update in the Horror section. The film made me feel like a kid again in the theater as watching two of cinemas biggest iconic giant monsters fighting on the screen was something very magical and truly was a film that needed to be seen in theaters and not at home via streaming! And it was great as everyone of my friends who came with me to watch the film enjoyed the hell out of it and the best part really being is how split we all were on who should have won, and even in the end when the winner was shown no one was rubbing it in the other sides face. The effects of the film were great and I think that Legendary Pictures has done a great job of showing the age progression of both Titans in each film and have done a fantastic job of also giving them personality and growth over the films that make up the Monsterverse. The thing that really worked in the film is that several times Kong and Godzilla fight and after each battle one of the Titans has the upper hand given fans of each of them something to cheer and feel good about and making neither look weak. I am glad that Legendary Pictures was able to get Toho, Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures to come together and allow this and the other films in the series to be made as they truly are “Event” films that are super enjoyable to watch in the theater and with friends. I hope that this is not the last we see of Godzilla or Kong as both have many more battles to be had in the Monsterverse. To sum it up I really enjoyed Godzilla vs. Kong and while in my opinion the wrong Kaiju won the battle it took the two to really bring down the threat that was a giant tech company and their Mecha monster.

As you long time readers know, both Godzilla and King Kong are big time favorites here at Rotten Ink as both are characters I grew up watching and will always be covered here and with Legendary Pictures and Legendary Comics making new media about both of them this is great news as they will always be covered here. And I want to thank Amazon for having both of these graphic novels in stock and making this update possible. I want to also remind you readers that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So with that, let’s head to the world of Titans and see who has the better graphic novel!

Godzilla: Dominion # 1 **1/2
Released in 2021 Cover Price $16.99 Legendary # 1 of 1

Godzilla is trying to protect his territory and find a new home and comes across the Titan Scylla who has been driven mad with hunger and has set her sights on a bomb at the bottom of the ocean and Godzilla knows that if the bomb goes off it will hurt the Earth as well as people and fights Scylla and makes her retreat into the ocean. Godzilla next appears to break up a fight between Amhuluk and Behemoth as they two are fighting over territory as well as are both hungry and as Amhuluk takes down Behemoth with plans on eating him Godzilla steps in and breaks up this could be feast and Amhuluk and Behemoth go their separate ways. Godzilla returns to the ocean and lets a strong current carry him as he rests and remembers back to a time long ago before man took over the world, and he then is attacked by meat eating giant fish that he ends up using his atomic breath and fries them. And as he continues his quest to find a new home Godzilla even remembers back to Mothra giving her life for his and that is when he runs into the Titan Na Kika as well as Warships and Helicopters that are attacking him once he surfaces, after defeating the war machines he once more finds a place to rest and recharges. Godzilla then finds his new home and must fight the Titan Tiamat in order to claim it and after a big fight Tiamat bows down and leaves Godzilla deep in his thoughts that is all about his real rival the one known as Kong.

Godzilla Dominion is a fun read and has some cool fights as well as features some other Titans that make up the Monsterverse. The Idea of this basically being a day in the life of Godzilla as he tries to find a new home is kind of a fun concept, but it is also flawed. While I really do want to stress that it’s a fun read and fans of Kaiju or should I say Titans will really enjoy all the monster fights as well as seeing many of the ones we are briefly introduced to in the 2019 film “Godzilla King Of The Monsters”, but the downside is that the comic feels like just scenes put together and at times it feels slightly underwhelming and also disjointed in spots. But while flawed in my opinion the comic still is a fun time if you love monster fights. Godzilla in this graphic novel is very much trying to be a protector to Earth as well as King of the monsters as he is trying to get them to behave as well as understands that their food source and territories are over lapping causing them to be at odds with each other. He also shows that he is a Titan who is always thinking as his past as well as the past of his bloodline is always on his mind and his hatred for Kong and his race is also boiling in his blood. The GN also has many other Titans with the coolest one for me to see being Behemoth the giant wooly mammoth with the long tusks, even though he looses a fight with a fellow Titan and almost becomes a meal, he still is my favorite of the other original Titans shown in this comic. I also like that this really feeds into the hatred that Godzilla has for Kong and it really does have to do with the history of war between the two races. The cover is really cool and has artwork by Art Adams and showcases Godzilla in all his glory. The interior art by Drew Johnson is really good and I love the way he draws all the Titans and also the way he draws battles is pretty interesting and well done. Over all this is a good read if you are a Godzilla fan and I cannot wait to see what the Kong graphic novel has in store for me. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Drew.

So now that we see what Godzilla has brought to the table in this Graphic Novel showdown lets head to Skull Island and see what Kong has in response.

Kingdom Kong # 1 ***
Released in 2021 Cover Price $16.99 Legendary # 1 of 1

Monarch have called in their top pilots and are sending them to Skull Island on a secret mission as they might have found a new entrance to the Hollow Earth and they need a team to go in and secure the area so that scientist can enter and study the believed birth place to all the Titans. Audrey Burns a woman with a past dealing with Titans is selected to lead the group and they all run drills on Skull Island to get ready for the mission. Meanwhile Kong is around and a little annoyed by the new group of humans but still protects them from the likes of a Spirit Tiger that he ends up breaking the neck of. Worse a massive storm is heading the way of Skull Island and if it reaches the island it could cause death of many of the species that live on the island including the tribe of humans. The scientists also are starting to wonder if Kong is out growing Skull Island as he seems to be growing to large for the land to supply him with enough of a food source among other issues. When the drilling team starts to uncover the cave that could be the vortex to lead to Hollow Earth they soon find out that they have all made a big mistake as the winged Titan Camazotz is what was in the hole and he wants to challenge to make Earth his Kingdom! Meanwhile Captain Audrey and her men have a moment to chat about how Titans have effected all of their lives before they are sent out to check on the drilling crew that has went silent…and to make things worse the massive storm is now at Skull Island! Kong fights off Camazotz as Burns and her team enter the fight to help Kong against the Titan and his smaller minions while other get the drilling team out and safe. After Burns uses her airplane to hit Camazotz with a sonic boom, Kong finishes the beast off with a hit that crushes his skull and kills the evil creature. Once the battle is over Burns takes a leave to visit her best friend who was hurt in a Titan attack, the Skull Island Hollow Earth portal is closed as its unstable, Dr. Ilene Andrews takes over as head scientist watching over Skull Island and Kong and Kong himself gets fired up when he thinks about his bloodline’s past and knows Godzilla is out in the world.

Kingdom Kong feels more like your traditional Kaiju comic and follows humans on a mission as well as the featured giant monster doing what they do best and that’s fight, protect and be a giant scary creature in the eyes of humans. And in this comic Kong is as awesome as ever as he tries to protect life but also has no regrets on taking lives of threats to him or what he views as those in need of his help. The way he snaps the neck of the Spirit Tiger shows that Kong does not mess around, and the fact he fights off another Alpha Titan shows that he is not one to turn away from a fight. The main evil Titan in this issue is the winged terror called Camazotz who hides in the dark and wants to make the planet Earth his kingdom and also feels that by beating Kong he as well will become a Alpha Titan, and while he is a threat to Kong he ends up dead thanks to a crushed skull! The human parts of the story do drag a little mostly in the Scientist stuff, with Captain Burns and her crew being a little more interesting due to their PTSD over Kaiju attacks they faced in the past. The Titan fights are great and while at times in some panels the fights do loose a little of the impact as the art sometimes is mudded up with other elements. It was cool to see characters from the film make appearances like Dr. Ilene Andrews, Jia and we even see Dr. David Lind the brother of Nathan Lind who dies trying to enter the Hollow Earth as spoke about in the film. The cover is great and eye catching as its Art Adams artwork again and his stuff always looks amazing. The interior artwork is done by Zed and is solid stuff and I love the way he drew Kong as he captures the Titan very well. Over all this is a really good comic that captures that magic of Kong and tells a pretty interesting story that leads into the events of the film pretty well and also builds the hatred that Kong has for Godzilla. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Zed used in this comic.

So as you can see, while Godzilla might have won the battle in the film Kong won the showdown between the two Titans in the world of Graphic Novels as his was just a better read and had a more solid plot that did not have that random scenes thrown together feel like Godzilla’s did. But I do feel that if you are a fan of either or both of these classic giant movie monsters you should give these graphic novels a read for sure as both are entertaining in their own ways and are a great lead in to the epic film and act as a fill in for the gap that takes place between the film series. But with that we have all survived another Kaiju attack here at Rotten Ink and our next update will take us all to a place to relax around a camp fire enjoying a bowl of chili and watching a classic western film released by Alpha Video and the first of our new Wild West Round Up update theme. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Kaiju film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you on the ranch for a War Of The Range!

Matt Goes To The Movies 2021

Posted on January 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome everyone to Rotten Ink, my little fun and goofy slice of the world-wide-web. This year 2022 is something very special for my blog as it turns 10 years old! It’s crazy to think that I have been covering comic books, horror hosts, movies, video games, toys and indie films for this long now as it does not seem that long at all to me, but I guess time does fly when you are doing something you love. This year I am going to celebrate in style as I am going to cover all types of things I love, from comics based on toys and cartoons all the way to horror hosts and wrestlers that I consider the best of the best! So 2022 will be a fun year for sure as I get to chat about so many things, and who knows, maybe I will even have a guest writer or two…maybe! But now let’s focus on why we are here at the Rotten Ink Theater as we are here to talk about movies that were shown in my local theaters that I was lucky enough to see on the big silver screen! The coronavirus pandemic was still in full effect so the films coming out were scarce for a while, but it did allow way more indie films to have their time to shine. And let’s not also forget the AT&T and Warner Brothers goofy idea of same day streaming. I for one went to the theater to see the films I wanted as that was the way they are meant to be seen. I want to thank Cinemark Theaters and Englewood Cinema for being open during these times and help delivering amazing films on the big screen and also allowing private screenings that my friends and I enjoyed throughout the year. And for me, no matter what anyone says, nothing beats seeing films at the movie theaters; streaming just does not pack a punch for me. So with that, let’s grab some popcorn and find our seats as it’s time to talk about the movies of 2021 and rank them by genre, and man horror this year was on point as you will see later in the update. One note: all of the box office figures for the movies are as of the date of this update, January 2, 2021.

Let’s start with Comedy. In 2021 I didn’t see many of them, but the ones I did were animated and based on classic characters, so with that let me share with you the two films that tickled my funny bone and kept me laughing at the cinema.

# 2

Kayla Forester is a young woman who is down and out when it comes to holding onto a job, and after sneaking her way into it, she finds herself working for the Royal Gate Hotel in New York during the wedding of a rich couple whose event is getting bigger and bigger by the minute. But things do not go smoothly for her when Tom and Jerry bring their fighting to the hotel and causes all kinds of chaos and issues that fall into Kayla’s lap! Can she get these two one the same page, can she guard her secret of having a fake resume and most importantly can she save the wedding from all this madness? This is a fun family film filled with silly slapstick comedy moments that brings the classic cartoon characters to a new generation of moviegoers. Plus it’s well casted with one of my favorite actresses Chloe Grace Moretz playing the part of Kayla Forester and other cast members include Michael Pena, Ken Jeong, Pallavi Sharda, Rob Delaney and Colin Jost. The humor is super silly and is a mix of modern cellphone emoji jokes as well as some dated 90’s gags making it fun for all ages. The only thing I would say that the film could have been a little shorter and that would have made the film flow at a better pace. The film did well at the US Box Office for Warner Brothers bringing in $46,041,123.00 on a budget of $79 million. This is worth watching if you enjoy Tom and Jerry and you would like to see them in modern time New York.

# 1

Wednesday Addams is having a hard time as she cannot relate to normal people and even her own family, and after a disappointing science fair and skipping family dinners several times Gomez Addams decides that a family vacation is needed to travel to some of Americas most gruesome places like Salam and Sleepy Hollow. But the family gets sidetracked when scientist Cyrus Strange tries to claim he is really Wednesday’s father and that she was switched at birth. After a DNA test proves this true, she leaves her old family behind to be with her “real” family, and it’s up to The Addams Family to get to the truth and bring Wednesday back home were she belongs, and of course all types of kooky things happen along the way. This was a super fun horror themed kids film that was just as enjoyable as the first film. It is well casted with names like Oscar Isaac, Chloe Grace Moretz, Charlize Theron, Bette Midler, Snoop Dogg and Bill Hader all lending their voices to the main cast. The film did okay for MGM at the Box Office given that they also did VOD day of release as well bringing in $56,489,153 on an unknown budget. This one is worth seeing and worth owning on home media if you are an Addams Family fan like myself.

So as you can see, The Addams Family took the top spot in comedy. Now let’s jump into the action genre and see what high explosions I saw on the silver screen.

# 4

Dom Toretto and his fast car driving team once more find themselves helping the government in order to find a device that when used with other parts will bring on a massive nuclear assault on the whole world, and worse Jakob Toretto, his own brother, is working for the bad side. Now it’s a race around the world and even space in order to save the world from this new threat, and Dom even has to get help from all of his “family” in order to pull this one off. This is a fun goofy over the top action film that by no means takes itself seriously, and because of that, it’s super fun and by all means cheesy. The film has the likes of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Tyrese Gibson and Charlize Theron on cast. The film did well for Universal at the American Box Office bringing in $173,005,945.00 on a budget of $200 million and worldwide it did fantastic. If you are a fan of the Fast And The Furious series, this one is defiantly worth checking out.

# 3

Jim Hanson is a former Marine who lives in Texas right at the border. He has lost his wife to cancer and the bank is threatening to take his ranch away due to missed payments. While driving his property, he stumbles on Rosa and her son Miguel who are on the run from a Mexican drug cartel due to a family member stealing money from them, and when Rosa dies from a gunshot wound Jim promises her that he will get her son to family in Chicago. All the while, the cartel is after them as is Jim’s step daughter who works for the border patrol and needs to take the child back. The film is a drama action movie that has a 68 year old Liam Neeson in the role of Jim Hanson, and he does a great job at playing the moody war hero. Also in the cast is Katheryn Winnick, Teresa Ruiz, Juan Pablo Rada and Jocob Perez. The film plays off the current hot topic of border security and as well as that no matter how defeated you feel in life, someone can come into your life and change that around. The film did okay for Open Road Films at the USA Box Office during the Virus Crisis bringing in $15,566,093.00 on a budget of $23 million. This was a fun way to kick off the 2021 movie going experience and is one that I might watch again someday.

# 2

Hutch Mansell is a family man who is living a boring life with a wife and two kids he loves but his job is lacking something. His life changes when a pair of robbers breaks into his home and steals a little money as well as his daughter’s cat bracelet, and then his past life comes speeding back into his present. Hutch was once a government solider who took care of “problems” and after tracking down the robbers and beating up a group of punks on a bus, Hutch has got a price on his head placed their by a very powerful Russian and now he must get his family to safety and teach these criminals that they have messed with the wrong man. Nobody is a super fun film that was made by the same creative team that did the John Wick film series, and this one feels right at home in that universe. The film is well casted with Bob Odenkirk playing Hutch being spot on as he comes off as both a pushover family man as well as a kickass government trained skilled killer. Other names in the cast are Christopher Lloyd, RZA, Connie Nielsen and Aleksey Serebryakov. The film is filled with big action moments and is pretty violent and is a must watch for fans of revenge films. The film did pretty well for Universal at the US Box Office during the still on going virus crisis bringing in $27,268,035.00 on a budget of $16 million, showing that this John Wick universe film had some fans and that this is one that you should see.

# 1

James Bond is living the retired life but does have some sins from his past haunting him including walking away from his true love, but when a new threat to the whole world emerges Bond is forced out of retirement and must team with the new 007 as well as once more see the woman he had left behind heartbroken in order to stop this new threat and save the world once again. This was a great James Bond adventure that has very high stacks and is unlike the others in this series. Plus this is extra special as it’s Daniel Craig’s final time playing the iconic role, and its so well casted with names like Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch and Ben Whishaw to name a few making up much of the main cast. The film is filled with drama, action and even suspense and is one of the better Bond films I have seen, and that is why it locked the # 1 spot in the action film section I saw in the theater! The film did well for MGM at the American box office and brought in $160,772,007 on a budget of $250 million dollars. If you are Bond fan, make sure to check this one out as it packs a very impactful ending that will pull at your heartstrings.

As you can see, 2021 had some great action films that made it to the theater and did a great job of entertaining my friends and I! Our next section is all about the sci-fi and fantasy films that did the same for us, so let’s chat about those.

# 5

The New World is a planet where men cannot hide their inner thoughts. They can be heard by anyone with what they called the noise. Todd Hewitt is a young man who lives in Prentisstown, where all the woman have been killed, and works at a beet farm, but his life changes when a ship from Earth crashes and the only survivor is Viola, a beautiful woman who once discovered has the Mayor David and his men hunting her down like a wild animal as they think if she contacts another ship, the simple life they have will be ruined…or is it that their sinister secret will be exposed!? Now it’s up to Todd to control his thoughts and help Viola find a radio in order to save herself as well as start a new life. This is a fun sci-fi film filled with some alien creatures as well as interesting characters that is well cast with Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, David Oyelowo and Mads Mikkelsen being in the lead roles. The film did not do great for Lionsgate at the American Box Office bringing in $13,287,908.00 on a budget of $100 million. This is a very interesting sci-fi film that you should check out on home media.

# 4

Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and during a feast at the round table, the mythical Green Knight appears and issues a challenge that he will allow any brave knight to strike him, but one year later the one who deals the blow must travel to the Green Chapel and will receive that same blow. Gawain takes the challenge and shows off by cutting the head off of the Green Knight who picks up his head and rides off laughing. When the year is up, Gawain goes on a quest to the Green Chapel and along the journey comes across thieves, strangers, ghosts, giants and a talking fox before finally meeting his fate at the hands of the Green Knight. This is the classic round table story turned to film and is an epic tale and brings together elements of fantasy and even a dash of horror. The Green Knight looks very cool and is played by Ralph Ineson and the rest of the cast includes Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Joel Edgerton. The film did okay for A24 at the American Box Office during the still lingering virus crisis bringing in $17,173,321.00 on a budget of $15million. Over all this is a slow burn fantasy film that will surely please fans of classic tales of King Arthur’s world and round table adventures.

# 3

Many people on Earth have been born with a Dragon birthmark and this is not by chance as they have been selected to be a fighter in “Mortal Kombat,” a tournament held by realms in order to show dominance as well as used to conquer other worlds. Earth’s champion is Radian and his fighters have been finding themselves being killed off before the tournament as Shang Tsung has sent his fighters Sub Zero, Goro, Mileena, Nitara, Reiko and Kabal to stack the odds in their realm’s favor. But they are not ready when Cole Young as well as Earth’s other fighters Sonya Blade, Kano, Jax, Liu Kang and Kung Lao are ready to fight for the world and take the war back to them. And when Scorpion joins the fight, the big fights start way before the Mortal Kombat tournament. What will be the fate of Earth, who will live and who will die…watch this fantasy video game martial arts film to find out. This is a really fun film and the best Mortal Kombat film to date as the film captures the brutal nature of the game series it’s based on and the effects are well done as well. My favorite character in the film had to be Sub Zero as he is cold blooded (pun intended) and the history between he and Scorpion is well done. The film did okay for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office during the lingering pandemic and their foolish HBO Max day of release nonsense and brought in $42,201,013.00 on a budget of $55 million. If you like the game and like martial arts films filled with crazy characters, then you should check this one out.

# 2

Duke Leto and his family consort Jessica and son Paul have been assigned to planet Arrakis to harvest Spice. The planet was previously under the rule of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who is not happy that he and his soldiers have been pulled out due to the choice of the Emperor. But when Leto arrives, he finds that the odds have been staked against him to fail as the machines he was left to harvest the Spice aare broken down, the area is surrounded by the massive Sand Worms and the area is also the home of the Fremen, the natives of the planet who are not happy that outsiders are harvesting their land and are at war with them. Paul meanwhile seems to have a gift and is having visions and has to protect his mom when his family and kingdom are attacked by Baron Harkonnen, and his father Leto is killed and all his friends who are warriors are assumed to be dead. Paul and his mom must wander around the desert and avoid the Sand Worms as well as try and get shelter from the Fremen. And man this is a very brief write up as this film has more layers of plot than what I can squeeze in here! This was a film I was not looking forward to, but after seeing it, I loved it and that is why it’s my # 2 film in this category. The film looks fantastic and the effects are top notch and is well casted with names like Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista and Rebecca Ferguson making up the cast. The film did well for Warner Brothers at the American Box Office given that they again did a streaming day of release bringing in $106,985,276 on a budget of $165 million. It’s a really great sci-fi film that in my opinion is leaps and bounds better than the 1984 version.

# 1

Phoebe Spengler is the granddaughter of original Ghostbusters member Egon Spengler, and she has inherited his love for science. But she has never knew him due to him leaving his family behind to live in a farmhouse in a very small town many years back. When Phoebe and her mother and brother have to move into Egon’s old rundown farmhouse after his death, she uncovers that the town is a hot spot for the second coming of Gozer! With the help of her grandfather’s spirit, she along with her brother Finn, her new friend Podcast and teenage waitress Lucky find the tools to bust ghosts and have to save the town from the upcoming apocalypse. Along the way, they get the help of Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore in order to save the world and let everyone know who to call when paranormal activity enters your home. This fourth film in the Ghostbusters series is a great horror comedy film that does a great job of mixing the two genres as well as capturing that magic that makes the Ghostbuster films so special. And besides bringing in the classic cast Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver the new cast of McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon. Paul Rudd and all the others fit right in with Grace stealing the film. The film also does a great job of introducing new ghosts as well as showcasing some familiar ones as well. The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $122,388,000 on a budget of $75 million. This is a fun film, and like before, don’t listen to online critics and make up you own mind as this film was great, and yes I will be buying it when it’s released on home media.

Lots of great fantasy and sci-fi films was released in the theaters in 2021, and really Dune was a big surprise for me as I was not looking forward to it and after watching it I found it at my # 2 spot! With that, let’s see what superheroes brought to the silver screen in 2021.

# 6

The Eternals are a race of immortals sent from The Celestial Arishem to Earth to act as protectors and to stop a race of creatures called Deviants. The Eternals are leader Ajak along with Ikaris, Sersi, Kingo, Thena, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, Gilgamesh and Sprite, and each have amazing powers that will help mankind move along. When they think that their mission is done, they disband with many of them going their own ways, but when the Deviants return and their one time leader Ajak is found dead, they must come back together and save mankind again…but is that their real mission as they end up digging deeper and finding the truth about Arishem as well as their true origin. This was a way better then I expected as I was never a big fan of the comic series. The film was well cast with names like Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Kit Harington and had a few surprise cameos from characters that will be appearing in future Marvel Universe films and shows. The film has done well for Disney at the American box office bringing in $164,611,651 on a budget of $200 million. While not the best superhero film I have ever seen, it sure as hell was an entertaining one that really surprised me.

# 5

The Black Widow meets up with her “sister” Yelena Belova who is on the run as she has broken the hold of Dreykov, the man who has warped the minds of many young woman and turned them into killers for hire. Yelena has an antidote for this mind control and this has marked her for death. As Widow and Yelena go and get the help of The Red Guardian who once acted as their father, they find out that the ultimate fighter known as Taskmaster has been sent to kill them both. And now Black Widow along with her “family” must comeback together and fight in order to finally bring down Dreykov and his evil empire that has enslaved and tormented women into killers for decades. This superhero film is filled with action as well as some twists and turns and explores the backstory of Black Widow and allows you to peek into her youth that was filled with so much bad and explains her mental stress as an adult about the actions of her past. Scarlett Johansson is fantastic as always as Black Widow. I am a big fan of Florence Pugh, and it was great to see her as Yelena Belova, who, by the end of this film is clearly going to be the new Black Widow. It was also great to see Rachel Weisz, William Hurt and David Harbour in big roles as they all did great in their parts. This film did pretty well for Disney at the US box office bringing in $183,651,655.00 on a budget of $200 million. It’s worth watching, and while I was not a fan of the “twist” of Taskmaster, it was still a great watch on the big screen and is one I will watch again for sure.

# 4

With the help of Venom, the alien that lives inside him, Eddie Brock finds the bodies of the victims of Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who is rotting away in jail. And after a last interview before he is sent to die via lethal injection, Cletus bites Eddie and a small piece of the symbiote that is Venom enters Cletus’s blood stream and he becomes Carnage, a cold blooded killing machine that is out for revenge! And worse, Eddie and Venom have a fight that leaves Eddie open to be murdered by Cletus who wants him to pay for getting him on Death Row, and Venom is left jumping from person to person. Meanwhile Cletus breaks his super powered screaming girlfriend Shriek out of a research asylum and the two go on a reign of terror! It takes Eddie’s ex-girlfriend Anne Weying to finally get Venom and Eddie to come back together and to go up against Carnage and Shriek and stop their murdering ways once and for all. This was a good sequel that added more comedy elements as well as some really cool fight scenes between Venom and Carnage that moviegoers have been waiting to see. Both Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson are great as Eddie and Cletus, and it is always great seeing Michelle Williams in films. The film did really well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $212,527,511 on a budget of $110 million. Plus Spoiler Alert Venom is placed in the MCU after this film when he is transported into their dimension while on vacation and sees Spider-Man on the TV.

# 3

Amanda Waller needs two teams to head into Corto Maltese in order to destroy a laboratory that has a very world-threating project going on. This of course is a suicide mission and she needs super villains to join the squads in order to get time shaved off their prison time. The first team is lead by Rick Flag as well has Harley Quinn, Savant, Captain Boomerang, Detachable Kid, Weasel, Javelin, Mongal and Blackguard, and they are mostly killed by an ambush, with the survivors finally meeting up with the second team that is lead by Bloodsport and consists of Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2. Together they must take on the mercenaries that have taken over the island and finally have to come face to giant eye with the world changing project that is the massive alien known as Starro! This is a fun, zany, crazy superhero like no other as it’s packed with great jokes, bloody moments and characters that you find your self cheering for! Director and writer James Gunn has a way of making superhero movies more fun and adds his touch of humor and style to them that always seems to work. The film is well cast with Margot Robbie returning once more as Harley Quinn and adds such names as Idris Elda, John Cena, Sylvester Stallone and Daniela Melchior to the cast and all do fantastic in their roles with Stallone as King Shark being funny and awesome. The film was released on HBO Max by Warner Brothers at the same time as the theatrical release but it still did really well for them at the US box office bringing in $55,800,219 on a budget of $185 million. While I enjoyed the first film, this second one was in another league and is one that I think fans of none traditional superhero movies should watch.

# 2

Shang-Chi is the son of Xu Wenwu, the man who has the ten rings, and a magical fighter Ying Li who was the guardian of the mythical and magical village Ta Lo. When his mom passes away and his father thinks that her old village is really keeping her hostage, he must travel to China and stop his father from unleashing ultimate evil onto the world, as well as work alongside his sister who he left behind at a young age. Will Shang-Chi be able to stop his father or will the universe be in the grip of evil darkness…watch this fun superhero martial arts film and find out. I grew up reading Shang-Chi, and while this film is pretty different from the classic 70’s Marvel comics, I still found it to be very entertaining and one of the best superhero films of the year! Simu Liu was well cast as Shang-Chi and captures the heroic spirit that is making up the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other actors like Awkafina, Meng’er Zhang and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai all do great in their respected roles as well. The film did great for Disney at the American box office bringing in $224,543,292 on a budget of $200 million. This is a fun action film that has cool fantasy elements thrown in, and you cannot go wrong with a film that has a cameo from the Hulk villain Abomination. Check this film out if you are enjoying these Marvel Comics movies as this is a really good one.

# 1

The world knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and this has caused him major issues as the press is harassing him and even many New Yorkers have turned on him, looking at him as a masked menace. So Peter goes to Doctor Strange and asks for a spell to be cast that will make people forget he is Spider-Man, but things go off the rails when Peter keeps changing the spell on who should remember his secret and this opens a rift in the multiverse and so enter Green Goblin, Sandman, Doctor Octopuss, Electro and The Lizard (from the past Sony Spider-Man films!) all of whom know Spider-Man’s secret but are confused when the Peter Parker they know is not the one they are seeing. Now Doctor Strange wants to send the villains back to their universe where many are dead, and Spider-Man wants to try and cure them before sending them home. The action and drama is turned up as Spidey tries to save them as Strange is trying to right the wrong of his spell. This is one amazing Superhero film and could be the best Marvel Film made up to this point as it has great surprises and brings together the past Spider-Man films and brings viewers once more some of the best Super-Villains from the past films as well as brings us past Spider-Men! The film has done amazing for Disney at the American box office and as of this update has brought in $572,642,000 on a budget of $200 million. Make sure to see this film on the big screen as it’s a great watch and a must own on home media when released.

So as you can see, both Marvel and DC delivered some great films for cinema-goers in 2021 and it looks like 2022 will also be delivering some great films in this genre. But with that said, let’s move onto my favorite genre: horror! And man I got to see so many limited released films in the theater and want to thank Englewood Cinema and Cinemark Dayton South for making all these horror films available to see on the silver screen.

# 33

A young kid and his grandpa go missing after finding a strange staircase in the woods. 20 years later, a group of friends going on a hike stumble upon the stairs as well as a few strange people who seem to be stuck in a loop and even take on a slight monstrous appearance. And soon they are hunted down and killed by a creature that lives inside these phantom stairs and they must fight to stay alive, and even find the missing kid who was stuck inside the stairs and has not aged in the 20 years he was missing! But will they be able to get away from the creature the kid calls Grub Daddy? Or will they all become mangled mounds of flesh that the creature shreds? Watch this indie horror fright flick and find out. This is a fun B-Movie film that has some cool ideas and even uses practical effects, but is lacking a little in the story that is filled with some holes and characters that go no place and are never explained. The creature called Grub Daddy is kind of cool and reminded me of the Fluke Man from the show X-Files. Actress Tyra Colar is fantastic in her role as Jordon, one of the hikers, and Josh Crotty as hiker Dirty Doug steals the show. The film was a Fathom Event and did okay for Wandering Dragon Productions despite unknown box office numbers on an unknown budget. Over all this is a fun creature flick that took place in the woods, was well acted and is worth watching if you like films about unknowns being seen in our forests.

# 32

Martin Lowery and park scout Alma head into the woods to find scientist Olivia Wendle to check on her and bring her equipment as no one has heard from her in months while she is working on a cure for a virus that has affected the world. But things go wrong for them while they hike to the site as they are attacked at night and their shoes are stolen. Martin gets a very bad cut on his foot, and they meet Zach, a man who has taken them prisoner and alerts them that woods are alive and nature is mad! Even when they escape, they run into Olivia who as well is a believer that nature is talking to them. A hallucinating mist created by mushrooms is trapping Martin and Alma in the woods and forcing them to witness and see the madness of the woods. Now Alma and Martin must find away to escape the woods as nature does not want them to leave nor do Zach and Olivia and their time and sanity is running out. This is a nature themed horror movie that uses lots of light, sound and editing tricks to throw the viewers off and draws them into this madness. The film was shot in 15 days by director Ben Wheatley and was made during the pandemic of 2020. The film does a pretty good job of bring the slow moving creepy horror and even has a few very bloody scenes. The character of Alma is very likable while Martin is a little bland allowing the viewers to choose whom they really think is the main star and the one nature wants. The film had a very limited release for Neon and did well given that at the American Box Office bringing in $1,113,723.00 on an unknown budget. Over all it was a cool watch that was a great theater experience and one that I will watch again to see what hidden plot details I might have missed.

# 31

It’s Lex’s birthday and her friends want to surprise her by taking her to an abandoned resort on a Hawaiian island that is said to be haunted by many spirits but the worse being the half face girl! The reason they are being secretly dropped off by helicopter is due the fact Lex is writing a book all about hauntings, spirits and ghosts and this is one of her main attractions. Once they get there, the land is beautiful and the resort is creepy but nothing is paranormal, that is until night comes and the legend of the half face girl proves to be true and she is out for souls. This was a fun little horror flick that had a short run time, some cool effects and some good classic horror moments. The downside is the film at times seems disjointed as if scenes have been removed from the movie. The Half Face Girl is a cool looking ghost who can get the dead to be her servants and that makes her interesting as she controls them. The gore is pretty great and unexpected, and the ladies Bianca Haase and Michelle Randolph are very beautiful and good actresses. The film had a very small limited run in theaters and did okay for Vertical Entertainment bringing in $191,996.00 on an unknown budget. It’s worth seeing, and I’m glad I caught it in the theater. This is one I will watch again on home media.

# 30

Jen Shaw and her friends go on a trip to hike the Appalachian Trail so that she can decide on what she wants to do with her life, and while hiking they make the mistake of going off the trail and run into sinister booby-traps as well as a group of people dressed in skulls and brush that call themselves The Foundation who have been living up in the mountains for generations since before the Civil War. But The Foundation doesn’t like trespassers, and they like it even less when strangers kill one of their own and now Jen and her friends are being picked off one by one and judged by the people of the mountain…and just for good measure Scott Shaw who is Jen’s rich and worried father has come looking for her. How will Jen survive and what will be left of her? This remake of the 2003 film series takes the deformed cannibals out of the picture and adds a secret society of mountain people who just want to be left alone, and I give it credit for trying something different, it’s just not a Wrong Turn film and takes more of a Midsommar approach to the tale and should have been called something else. The film is well cast with names like Charlotte Vega, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Daisy Head, Darius Clemons and Matthew Modine all fantastic in their roles. The film also did have a few bloody moments and did okay at the US Box Office bringing in $1,251,184.00 for Saban Films on a very small limited release. Over all this was just okay and will be one I will watch again someday as I got it on its home media release.

# 29

Rain Burroughs is a teenage girl who is struggling with her schizophrenia and has just gotten out of the hospital after a really bad breakdown and finds that she is friendless at school and is only one more bad episode away from being put into a mental hospital. But her luck starts to change as she makes a new friend in Caleb, a new kid at school, and her medication seems to be helping slightly. But when she thinks that her schoolteacher who is also her neighbor has kidnapped a young girl and is keeping her chained up in her house, Rain does not know if what she is seeing is real or is all just in her head. With her father not believing her, her new friend Caleb not knowing what is really going on, her mother being there for her but not taking her side, it’s up to Rain to solve the case of who’s real and who’s not and to come to terms with her own mental illness. The film is a thriller mixed with some horror elements and it stars Katherine Heigl, Harry Connick Jr, and Madison Iseman as Rain. This film had a very small limited theatrical release before it was put out on home media and brought in some money for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on an unknown budget. This is a good little thriller that has you guessing at what and who is real and was worth a watch at the theater, and Madison Iseman was really solid in her role as Rain Burroughs. I picked it up on home media later in the year.

# 28

Mario is a game designer who along with his developing friends head to a friends wedding that gets them stuck in the middle of a family feud that will lead to their friend’s death! And after running into a stranger with their car, one of Mario’s friends is bitten and so a zombie outbreak breaks out in the middle of all this madness. Now Mario and his remaining friends as well as members of both families must fight together to stay alive and find a cure to the outbreak that only a crazy old man in the woods knows! This is a fun horror action comedy and the first zombie film in Telugu cinema that not only has splatter but also a few good laughs out loud moments. The film is well cast with Sajja Teja as Mario and actress Anandhi being two great standouts. The film had a limited screening in the US and did okay for Geetha Arts at the Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on a budget of $48 million. If you like Bollywood Horror films and films like Zombieland, The Dead Don’t Die and Shaun Of The Dead make sure to give this one a watch, but be warned it’s over two hours and it takes a bit for the zombie madness to kick in.

# 27

Julia Meadows is a schoolteacher who has mental scars due to abuse at her father’s hands and when she sees the same issues in a student of hers named Lucas Weaver she tries to help. But she soon learns that Lucas is hiding a big secret, that his father is turning into a Wendigo as is his baby brother who were attacked in an abandoned mine. And when his father fully turns and starts killing around the town, its up to Julia and her police officer brother Paul to try and save not only the town but also Lucas who is trying to keep what is left of his family together no matter how flesh eating they are becoming. This film has some creepy moments as well as some gruesome scenes and is a creature feature that was a great theater watch during the Halloween season. And I really did enjoy the effects and the film was more gruesome in spots then I expected. The film did okay for Searchlight Pictures at the American box office brining in $10,619,670 on an unknown budget. This is a fun freaky film that is one I bought on home media when released.

# 26

Jeff Vahn is a struggling creator and comic book artist who is going through a terrible divorce from his wife Maggie who wants sole custody of their daughter Jenny as she thinks he is too irresponsible to be raising their child. But after Maggie is killed by a hit and run driver, Jeff finds that his daughter is not doing well as she has an imaginary friend that she says is a monster, the babysitter Samantha has a crush on him, and his father in law wants to take Jenny away. He is working for an old college friends comic book company working on a dark horror comic and it is clear that something evil has entered his house and wants to scare and take. This is a creepy little horror flick that is very much in the same spirit as films like The Conjuring, Insidious and other supernatural horror. The effects of the monster spirit are really cool. I like that it also adds the world of comic book making into its story. The film did okay for Open Road Films at the American Box Office bringing in $4,509,143.00 on an unknown budget. This is a fun creepy little film that has some cool evil spirits and some cool kills. I bought it once it was released on home media.

# 25

On an internet reality TV Show, the world watches as down and out celebs from internet blogs, Instagram and reality shows are brought together in one house with the promise of winning big prize money! The viewers also get to vote on who is their favorites and the bottom pick has to compete in a challenge in order to stay in the house by spinning a wheel. But soon the competitors and the viewers find out this house is one of horror as the losers are put into challenges that end in death and the celebrities are trapped in the house. One by one the bottom %’s have to compete in killer challenges as onlookers watch live on their laptops and cellphone screens, as the law tries to find the location of this killer red room reality show. Will the celebrities find a way to escape, who will win and why is the man in charge doing what he is doing and killing these internet famous people off in gruesome fashion? Well watch the Funhouse and find out. This was a limited release and was pretty dang entertaining and was filled with some cool kills, beautiful women and even monster themed MMA fighters! The film did okay for such a limited release for Magnet at the Box Office and brought in $110,571.00 worldwide. This is a fun watch for fans of films like Hostel and Saw that is a little less gruesome and gory and is worth a watch.

# 24

Father Daniel is a young priest who is teamed with Father Peter to learn the ways of performing exorcisms on possessed people and saving their lives and souls. When Daniel is taken to a home where a young boy killed his family, he opens his mind to evil and witnesses the massacre and realizes that the young boy has been possessed by a demon! Now he must find a way to save the boy’s soul and all the while try and figure out Father Peter and his past priests that learned the ways of the Exorcist from him. Can Father Daniel save the young boy’s soul from this very powerful demon or will he watch as the youngster burns in the flames of damnation? Watch this creepy little horror flick and find out! The Seventh Day is one of many films based on evil demonic spirits that was released in 2021, and like all the others, it was a solid and spooky watch that brought the chills as well as the twist and turns that made it a very entertaining watch on the big screen. I really liked the mood and pacing of the film and enjoyed the moments when the demon would take over the young boy and wreak havoc on those who were in his way. The film had a very limited release and did well given the time of release at the World Box Office for Vertical Entertainment bringing in $963,938.00 on an unknown budget. This was a fun fright flick and fans who like possession films should check it out. I also liked this one enough that I bought it on DVD when released.

# 23

Gerry Fenn is a disgraced reporter who used to write for the big newspapers and is now writing for a tabloid that sends him to a small town in New England to cover a cow mutilation, but when the story turns out to be a bust, he soon finds himself a new one as a deaf and mute teenage girl Alice starts speaking and claims that the Virgin Mary is speaking to her and has given her the power to heal the sick and dying and crazy enough she is doing the miracles she claims! But soon Gerry, who helps the Catholic Church with this miracle and also gets the exclusive with Alice as the two have started to be come friends, finds out about Mary, a witch that was killed in the town that was the Bride Of Satan, and as strange deaths start happing to those who doubt Mary he must find the truth if Alice has been touched by holy goodness or touched by pure evil. This Sam Raimi produced PG-13 fright flick is a fun film that features a cool demonic ghost witch that is the stuff of nightmares. The thing I liked about the film is that it has an early 2000’s feel to it and has the Raimi feel of jump scares and a demonic villain. The film did okay for Screen Gems at the American Box Office during the ongoing Virus Crisis bringing in $15,530,440.00 on a budget of unknown. It’s a fun creepy watch that has a cool evil sprit baddy that I ended up buying on home media.

# 22

Ed and Lorraine Warren are at the Glatzel home to try and perform an exorcism on an 8-year-old boy who is being possessed by a demon. At the exorcism the demon proves to be really strong and gives Ed a heart attack and then goes into Arne, a young man who is dating the boy’s sister. While Ed is recovering in the hospital, the demon makes Arne kills his girlfriend’s boss and now he is in prison waiting for trial. Once out of the hospital, Ed and Lorraine come to Arne’s aid and are a part of his defense team as they have to prove that the devil made him do it! So the Warrens soon find out that a devil cult is to blame as they have left a cursed totem in the Glatzel home, and that this totem was also found in another murder case and that whomever placed these totems has now targeted the Warrens and it makes them have to race against time to save the soul of Arne, stop the cultist and watch out for one another. The third film in The Conjuring series is a good spooky watch that showcases another case file of the Warrens. But while I did enjoy the film, it was the weakest of the series thus far and the demon and cult leader are neither as spooky nor motivated as that of the past spirits and the film just seemed to be lacking the charm that director James Wan brought to the series. But while a little underwhelming, it still was a good fright flick and seeing the chemistry of actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga always is a plus. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the American Box Office bringing in $65,565,074.00 on a budget of only $39 million. The Conjuring III is a good film, and if you like the series check it out. I bought a copy once it was released on home media.

# 21

A serial killer is killing women in California and has been for a while now and former Detective Joe Deacon meets the new detective on the case, Jim Baxter, and the pair start to work together to try and find who the killer is as the bodies of young women keep being found. They both find clues and start checking off the suspects and that’s when they find the creepy appliance repairman Albert Sparma, a man who is into true crime and even once confessed to a murder he didn’t do, but is he our man our cold blooded killer…or is their more to uncover in this horror thriller noir film? Watch for yourself and find out, and see who you think the killer is. This was a very well made film that reminded me a lot of films like Seven and Silence Of The Lambs. It takes its time to build the case and has the viewers along for the investigation. The film is well cast with Denzel Washington and Rami Malek as the Detectives and Jared Leto is fantastic as the creepy murder suspect. The film did well for Warner Brothers at the Box Office in the US even during the ongoing pandemic bringing in $15,244,012.00 on a budget of $30 million. This was a great watch in the theater and was a nice edition to the thriller genre of Horror.

# 20

Flight Officer Maude Garrett along with a top-secret package come aboard the plane “Fools Errand” on a secret mission and is not well welcomed by the crew and is forced to stay in the Sperry during take off. Soon things start to get crazy as Japanese Fighter planes attack, and worse, a gremlin is on the plane causing destruction and panic like trapping her inside the Sperry. During all this the crew find out that Officer Maude Garrett is not who she says she is and is hiding a secret that will change the way they look at her as well as their trust in her. But in the end will Officer Garrett be able to save not only herself but also the package and the crew from the attacks from above as well as on the plane? This film was lots of fun and was the first horror film I saw in theater in 2021 and was a great way to kick off the year for horror. Once more, this film proves why Chloe Grace Moretz is one of my favorite actresses doing cult style horror, action and sci-fi films, and she is great as Officer Maude Garrett who is a great character. The Gremlin is also really cool looking and almost appears to be part bat, rat and creature and is aggressive and very sneaky and destructive. The film was released still during the pandemic of early 2021 and had a very limited release at theaters and brought in $156,932.00 for Vertical Entertainment. This one I enjoyed lots and is one I bought on home media when released.

# 19

Raccoon City has been under the care of the Umbrella Corporation and now they are leaving the town and this is causing the town to slowly die…like really die as the townspeople are getting sick and are becoming flesh eating zombies! Claire Redfield returns to her hometown to get to the bottom of this evil plot and along with her brother Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Richard Aiken, Brad Vickers and Chief Brian Irons they must survive the zombie carnage, expose the dirty secrets of Umbrella, find help in a unusual young woman, fight off a evil doctor, deal with a team trader, survive the attacks of mutated monsters and get out of Raccoon City alive. This film combines elements from the first two Capcom games in the Resident Evil series, and while I feel the final act of the film seems rushed, the film does have a few moments that are creepy and the zombies and monsters are pretty cool. One thing big fans of the game series might be annoyed with is that some of the characters do not act like they do in the games, and some are treated like the joke of the film…looking at you Leon. The film did sadly poorly for Screen Gems at the US box office brining in $16,890,005 on a budget of $25 million. Over all this is a fun zombie film that sticks more true to the games than the film series that came before it. And yes, I will buy on home media when released.

# 18

Dylan Jacobs is a young boy who is mute and witnessed a tragedy the took his mom at a young age and now he and his father who is a Radio DJ have moved into a new apartment. While unpacking he finds a book hidden in his closet and it’s a Book Of Shadows, and after his dad leaves for work the youngster uses the book in order to get a voice, but it comes with a catch as he has to survive one hour in the small apartment with an evil Djinn who wants to eat his heart and steal his soul, and has to blow out a candle that can only be put out after one hour. So Dylan must use his wits and what he can find around in order to keep the creature at bay. Can Dylan do it? Will the Djinn steal his soul? Will his wish come true and if so will it have a big price to pay? Well watch this fun film and found out those answers. This is one part haunted house, one part supernatural, one part Home Alone and one part Conjuring inspired as the Djinn is one evil character who tricks and tries to kill with aggression and glee. The film had a very limited release and brought in $124,772.00 on an unknown budget at the US Box Office for IFC. Over all a cool simple Horror Movie with some great moments and one I got on home media when released.

# 17

Finn Wheeler is a Forest Ranger who is assigned to a small town called Beaverfield after breaking up with his girlfriend, when he gets there its winter time and a big storm is on its way and me meets all the strange people of the town including young mail carrier Cecily as well as Jeanine a woman who owns the towns lodge. Also in town is businessman Sam who wants to build a pipeline through the town and is throwing around money and making the town split. But when a big storm hits, the towns generators are tampered with and the town people have to stay at the lodge for safety and that’s when they find out that a werewolf is loose in the town and is taking them out one by one, will Ranger Wheeler be able to save the town and stop the beast? Watch this funny Horror Comedy based on the video game and find out for yourself. The film stars Milana Vayntrub as mail carrier Cecily Moore who is known as the AT&T Girl and she is fantastic as is all of the cast who help create this strange small town. The film is really funny and the horror elements are well done with yes even the werewolf being seen. The film had a limited release and did good for IFC bringing them in an extra $575,614.00 at the US Box Office. A film that I bought on home media once released and again is a fun Horror Comedy that has a haunted house meets Twin Peaks feel.

# 16

The Cappa family head to a resort that is amazing and the reason they are doing so is that Guy and Prisca are having marriage issues and will be getting a divorce and want to have one more family outing before they tell their kids Maddox and Trent. But when they are invited to a private section of the beach they find that they are joined by a few select others and all seems perfect that is until a dead body washes ashore and everyone finds out that they are stuck on this beach and time is running fast as kids are growing up super fast, parents are getting older and anyone with a illness is finding that they are getting worse. And now they all must find away to escape this beach and find out why they were brought there with what seems is to die! And like always this film has a twist that was well thought out and helped this film feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone and was well casted with every actor doing their parts top notch with Thomasin McKenzie, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Aaron Pierre and Rufus Sewell all being great in their roles. The film did well during the ongoing pandemic at the US Box Office for Universal Pictures bringing in $48,242,510.00 on a budget of $18 million. M. Night Shyamalan is truly back on track on bringing fans creepy Horror Thrillers and Old is one I enjoyed and bought on home media when released.

# 15

Phoenix is a young girl who was grown up thinking that The Blind Man Norman Nordstrom is her father and that her mother died in a house fire, and he does his best to try and raise her to be a survivalist and does not allow her to go into town of have friends. But soon her real past comes calling when her real father who was in prison and was a meth dealer along with his friends show up to tell her the truth and get her back, but this family reunion is sour as her father has no interest in really getting his daughter back as he only wants her heart in order to give to his wife who is dying from inhaling meth fumes. Now its up to Norman to get her back as well as come clean to her on the monster he really is. This is a gritty horror film that in my opinion was leaps and bounds better then the first and while Norman is the “hero” in ways he still is the same cold-blooded killer who assaulted women and now his past and lies are catching up with him. The real hero of the film is Phoenix the young girl who fights to stay alive as well as to live a normal life surrounded by terrible people. Also the film is bloody and has some really cool and interesting kills. The film did pretty well for Sony at the US Box Office even during the then ongoing pandemic bringing in $32,638,038.00 on a budget of $15 million. Worth watching if you liked the first film and if you like you Horror Flicks a little gritty. Bought when on home media.

# 14

Detective Zeke Banks is a cop who is a loner after his department treat him like a rat after he turned a dirty cop in for a murder. But things turn weird for Zeke when a Jigsaw Copycat killer starts targeting dirty cops and is putting them into traps of self-mutilation that all end in death. No Zeke must trust his fellow officers who don’t respect him in order to stop the killings and figure out who this Jigsaw copycat killer is! This is the 9^th film in the Saw series and takes a new direction and yet still feels right at home with the Jigsaw saga. The film has some great trap kills that are bloody and gory, an interesting story and is very topical about the trail of sadness that dirty cops can leave behind. Chris Rock is great in the role of Detective Banks and goes from funny to serious when he needs to. The film did just ok for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in only $23,216,862.00 on a budget of $20 million. I for one hope that the Saw series continues on as I would like to see what’s next for Zeke Banks and the next chapter of the Book Of Saw has in store for us. Bought on home media when released.

# 13

Survivors Zoey Davis and Ben Miller head to New York to try and find the headquarters of the Minos Corporation and when they get their they are tricked by a homeless man to get on a subway train, and they soon find that this was a trap by Minos and that the people also on the train with them was former players of their escape rooms. And this time around the traps are more mean spirited and more deadly as Minos does not like when players beat them and escape. One by one Zoey watches as the other players die in traps and she is always trying to figure out the room and keep her fellow players alive, and when she gets the shock of her life she goes truly against the wishes of Minos and does what she can to bring them down from the inside out. This is a fun sequel that adds more questions and delivers some answers and leaves me wanting to see a third film in the series. The films rooms are well thought out and add a level of Saw to them making them more dangerous then ever and the film is also casted really well with Taylor Russell, Logan Miller and Deborah Ann Woll return to their rolls from the first film and new names like Holland Roden and Indya Moore bringing new characters to this sick and twisted game. The film did well for Sony at the American Box Office given the time bringing in $25,188,958.00 on a budget of $15 million, and this I hope makes it that we get a part three. To sum it up if you liked the first film you will more than likely enjoy this second film and it is one I bought once released on home media.

# 12

Yakov Ronen is a Jewish man who has went through a tragic event that has shook his faith, but running low on money he takes a job to act as a Shomer for a man who has just passed away. While in the house late at night watching over the mans body he meets the mans wife Mrs. Litvak who is battling Alzheimer’s as well as he starts seeing a shadow person as well as has bad visions of not only his past memories but the dead mans as well! Now trapped in this home with something demonic he must find his inner power to forgive himself for his past as well as fight for his soul as well as that of the one he is there to watch over. What a fun little ghost haunted house style film that feels like it could be right at home in the Conjuring film universe, the creature known as a Mazek that is a demonic sprit that’s head is backwards as it is always looking to the past is a creepy and strange creature that is fitting for its own film franchise. The acting is fantastic with Dave Davis, Lynn Cohen and Ronald Cohen being the standouts and the score by Michael Yezerski is top notch. A great and creepy PG-13 horror film that did pretty well for IFC at the American Box Office bringing in $50,439.00 on an unknown budget for a limited release. On a side not it was odd the films USA rights was originally with Blumhouse they sold the film to IFC for release, and that’s odd as this film was a perfect fit for Blumhouse.

# 11

Michael Myers survives the inferno trap that the Strode family left him to die in and is now back on the killing rampage in Haddenfield and the people have had enough and are wanting to fight back and kill the evil that has tormented their town for decades. Tommy Doyle as well as other survivors of the original 1978 massacre have came together and along with others are now looking for Michael to make evil die tonight. But they soon find out that Michael Myers might be more than human and his want for murder might just be stronger than their hatred for him. This sequel to the 2018 film is a down and dirty bloodbath that is filled with gruesome kills and showcases that Michael Myers is truly a killing machine who is brutal and cruel and kills for killing sake. This was a entertaining slasher film that was a fun watch on the big screen, but also had lots on puzzling moments that was tied into bad scripted segments with characters making head scratching decisions that didn’t fit the vibe of the film. But keep in mind while I did not like it as well as the 2018 film I did still enjoy it and it was a fun experience seeing it on the big screen opening night with a theater filled with Horror fans. It is well casted as well with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Anthony Michael Hall, Judy Greer, Michael McDonald and actress Andi Matichak steals the film again as Allyson. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $92,002,155 on a budget of $20 million dollars. If you like the Halloween series, check this one out and of course got it on home media when it was released.

# 10

The New Founding Fathers are back in control and the Purge has returned the night that all crime is legal is back as a yearly event, but there is something else brewing as a new movement has gripped the nation called Forever Purge a group of people who are now on a mission to kill any and all foreigners and wrong doers and keep the Purge going every day as their American right! And now ranch owners The Tuckers have to try and stay alive as they join their Hispanic helper Juan his wife Adela and friend T.T. in order to get to Mexico for safety as they have been marked by the Forever Purgers for death! And on their way to Mexico they must fight off their would be killers as well as try and help each other stay alive to see safety south of the border. This was a good Purge sequel that had a Horror Western feel to it and tried to mirror what was going on in society at the time. The film has some great kills, cool effects and some of the masked Purge killers have cool looks. I really liked the idea of a radical group who want to keep the Purge going year round being the ones that even the Founding Fathers do not like as they are to extreme even for them. The film did ok for Universal at the US Box Office during the ongoing pandemic bringing in $44,500,860.00 on a budget of $18 million. Over all a good sequel with a good story and is well acted…bought on home media when released. And I have to say also that this was leaps and bounds better then 2018’s “First Purge” film.

# 9

Beth is a schoolteacher who’s husband Owen built them a dream house on the lake, and her life changes when one night Own takes the rowboat out on the lake and commits suicide. She is now alone at this house and strange things start to happen as if her dead husband is trying to talk to her from beyond the grave and the deeper she digs into his life the more strange things she discovers from the occult, to affairs to a weird unfinished home he built across the lake. Now Beth must try her best to find the truth and uncover if she is really being reached out to by the spirit of her husband or something much worse. This was a great spooky watch in the theater and several time throughout it my gal Juliet and my cousin Stephen both jumped from the scares. The blurred line between what is reality and what might be in her mind or even another dimension is really well done and the film has a great atmosphere that captures the feeling of loneliness and sadness. The films cast is also really great with Rebecca Hall killing it as widow Beth and Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Stacy Martin all being fantastic in their supporting roles. The film did well for Searchlight Pictures giving the on-going pandemic at the American Box Office bringing in $7,100,581.00 on an unknown budget. This was a fun little fright flick and is one I got once on home media.

# 8

Maddie Mitchell is pregnant and when home from work with labor pains her husband and her get into it and he slams her head into a wall, and oddly enough that night the husband is killed by a long haired, mutated melted faced, disjointed killer who then also kills many old doctors who are all connected to helping kids. And Maddie is starting to have bad visions of the murders and are seeing how brutal they are being committed, and the killers name is Gabriel and some how he and Maddie are linked. Why are they connected? Why is he killing Doctors? Will the cops find the link? Is there more to Maddie then what is seen? Watch this weird and highly entertaining film to find out for yourself. The film has great effects and was way bloodier then expected and the killer Gabriel is really cool looking. And you know the film has to be good as it was from the mind of James Wan one of the new masters of modern Hollywood Horror. The film stars Annabelle Wallis, Marina Mazepa, Maddie Hasson and George Young in lead roles and are all well casted. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the US box office bringing in $13,374,014.00 on a budget of $40 million, and keep in mind they did the same day release on streaming for this film on HBO Max. Very creepy a cool film that is one I bought when released and is one you should checkout if you like weird films.

# 7

Katie who is now going by the name Maud was a nurse at a hospital that had an accident during CPR to a patient and now finds herself as a home caregiver to a woman named Amanda who was once an actress who is now battling stage 4 cancer and is an atheist. Maud has found religion and wants so bad to save the soul of Amanda who she thinks has been sent her way by the will of God, but when Maud is fired she goes on a downward spiral and feels that she really needs to save the soul of Amanda and goes on a soul searching mission to do so, but Maud is so far gone mentally she does not live in reality and thinks God is always with her and is speaking to her. In the end Maud thinks she has done what has been asked of her she does an act that will deliver her to Gods waiting arms. This is a really downbeat film that captures the creepy slow burn feel of films like Carrie and The Exorcist and is a must watch for fans of A24 Horror! The film is filled with a very uneasy feeling throughout and is a Horror Film that feels real to life. The film had a very limited release here in America and did well for A24 at the Box Office world wide bringing in $1,383,868.00 on an unknown budget. This is a great film for those who like slow burn Horror Films that have a touch of art house film feel thrown in. Got on home media when released!

# 6

After a military experiment zombie escapes from a road accident he infects all of Vegas to the point where a group of survivors try to save others before the whole area is sealed off by metal containers. After time passes a rich businessman tracks down the survivors and offers them millions of dollars in order to go back into Vegas and get the large amount of cash out of his casino vault before the government drops a nuclear bomb on the city to kill the zombie horde. So this new group is lead by Scott Ward and his daughter Kate as the enter the city and learn that these zombies are way smatter then thought and have created their own savage society. But when something goes wrong and the Queen of the zombies is killed the group is in real trouble as the zombies want to rip them apart to avenge their Queen. Can Scott get the money and his crew out of Vegas before they become zombie dinner or are blown up by the bomb? Watch this Zach Snyder zombie flick to find out! This is an epic and fun zombie action film that had Zach Snyder return to the zombie genre and was well casted with names like Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Harwick, Ana de la Reguera and Nora Arnezeder to name a few. The film is loaded with zombie kills and is bloody and even brings in a zombie tiger! A fun, bloody ride the whole time! The film did well for Netflix on a limited release at the US Box Office bringing in an unknown amount on a budget of $90 million. This is a fun fright flick that I cannot wait to see a sequel to and hope Netflix ends up releasing it on Blu-Ray and DVD so that I can get a copy for my collection.

# 5

Mimi is a young girl who does what she wants to do and is a very strange kid and her older brother Luke just goes along with her strange ideas including her game “Crazy Ball” and after loosing she makes her brother dig his own grave in the backyard and instead they find a jewel stone that frees an imprisoned alien killing machine called Arch-Duke Of Nightmares! While the monster is a killing machine he has to follow the orders of Mimi who holds the stone and she turns this killing machine into her fiend and calls him Psycho Goreman or PG for short! But when a group called The Templers find out they send Pandora to Earth to kills PG once and for all. But with the help of Mimi and her family Psycho Gorman does battle with Pandora and if he wins he can fulfill is mission of murder and destruction and if Pandora wins the world will be filled with slavery and no free will. This is an amazing Horror Comedy from writer director Steven Kostanski the man behind such films as The Void, Manborg and Father’s Day that is gory and funny all at the same time and has what I think could be the next creature feature icon of Horror Comedies along side the likes of Wolf Cop. The film had a limited release in theaters during the ongoing pandemic and did well for RLJE at the US Box Office bringing in $95,182.00 showing that Indie Horror is alive and well. If you have not seen this one yet, make sure to check it out and of course I bought this on home media when released.

# 4

Eloise is a young woman who is going to London for fashion school and finds that she does not fit in and when leaving her dorm to live in a old apartment building visions of the cities past fill her dreams and she finds herself involved in finding out who killed inspiring singer Sandie who’s manager promised her the world, but delivered her into sex work. But when Eloise thinks she has figured out who has killed Sandie she tries to bring them to justice as well as find Sandie, but this causes her classmates and the police to think she is crazy! But is Eloise crazy and will she uncover what really happened to the missing singer…well watch this film and find out. First thing I have to say is that this film made me fall in love with Thomasin McKenzie who plays Eloise as an actress and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite newer actresses in the Horror genre. The film does a great job of going from modern times to flashing back to the 1960’s and the characters and story had be drawn in and that’s surprising as I am not a big fan of most of Edgar Wright’s films but this one I think is his best. The film had a few spooky moments and enough twist and turns to really help add to the chills, and yes some of the twists can be predictable but I still enjoyed it. The film is well casted with names like Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp and Michael Ajao making up the lead cast. The film sadly did not do well for Universal at the US box office bringing in only $10,127,625 on a budget of $43 million. This was a really cool stylish Horror Film that does a great job also on the use of lights, and yes will buy on Home Media.

# 3

Anthony McCoy is a visual artists who has it all, a beautiful and successful girlfriend named Brianna, he lives in a upper class high rise apartment and is loving life even if he is having an artist block that is keeping him from painting his next masterwork, but when hearing the legend of Helen Lyle and Candyman he gets the inspiration for his next series of work. Anthony has made a big mistake though as he has gotten the attention of Candyman and he learns the legacy, roots and horror that is behind this hooked handed boogeyman killer…but he also learns that his own life just might be connected to him and that the hive is many when it comes to Candyman. This is a great sequel to the 1992 cult classic film and helps add to the legend of the film series and even does a good job of not totally forgetting about parts 2 and 3 in the series. The film is well casted with names like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Michael Hargrove and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett all being fantastic in their roles and it was also amazing seeing Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams returning in their roles from the first film. The film has some bloody and creepy moments and really was a fantastic fright film on the big screen. The film did well at the American Box Office given the pandemic was coming back around with a new wave as it brought in $61,186,570.00 for Universal on a budget of $25 million dollars. If you like the Candyman film series give this one a watch, and yes bought on home media when released.

# 2

Godzilla is running wild and attacking company Apex factories and they seem unprovoked turning mankind against the titan they once called a protector. Their only hope is to use Kong to find out if the Hollow Earth energy is true as it is the place they think the titans might have came from and was the place Godzilla and Kong’s kind had wars with one another making them bitter enemies. With mankind taking Kong from Skull Island and taking him to the gateway to Hollow Earth in Antarctica Godzilla is annoyed that another alpha Titan is present and goes on the attack causing the two Titans to be at odds with each other even when the battle ends and this makes it that Godzilla and King Kong are bitter rivals that while they respect each other they also clearly hate each other. While Kong enters Hollowed Earth and learns about his own families past as well as finding a powerful axe that holds lots of power. All the while Godzilla is stomping around and destroying Apex factories causing Monarch and mankind to fear his wrath! And when Kong shows up in Hong Kong he and Godzilla have a massive fight that leaves them both wounded and one Titan near death, and worse for everyone Apex has been working on a project that is creating their own Titan made of metal and is called Mechagodzilla! Who will win this epic battle of Kong vs. Godzilla and what terror does Mechagodzilla have in store for the winner? Check out this Monstervese movie and find out for yourself. What a fun film that pits the worlds two most iconic Kaiju against each other for the amusement of the viewers, plus for me I am always up for a new King Kong and Godzilla film! Plus its been way to long sense we seen these two Titans of cinema in the same movie again as it was 1962 when they last shared a film, and that’s crazy. The film did great for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office bringing in $100,563,133.00 on a budget of $200 million, even though WB tried their best to ruin the release with the crappy HBO Max same day release. You can never go wrong with Giant Monster Horror, and this is one that I bought on physical media when released.

# 1

Evelyn Abbott and her kids Regan, Marcus and the baby are leaving their farm behind and heading towards another survivors shelter and find that the long time family friend Emmett is the one that has been signaling to the family for years. And once inside his shelter in a factory they find out that a radio station has been playing the same song “Beyond The See” by Frank Sinatra and Regan has an idea to get onto the air and use her hearing aid to broadcast over the airwaves and give the humans a chance to fight back, and she sneaks away from her family to become the hero the world needs. Emmett goes after her and together the two go on a quest to get a boat and get to the island to pull off this plan and along the way must dodge the creatures as well as the corrupted humans who want to steal what they have. In the end Regan and Emmett make it to the island and find that its filled with peaceful families and survivors…and one creature has also made it ashore. So now it’s a race to the radio station to give humans a chance to strike back against these killing machine monsters. This was a great sequel that I would say is on par if not slightly better then the original and that’s saying something as the original was an amazing fright flick. They also did a great job of making sure the original cast of Millicent Simmonds, Emily Blunt and Noah Jupe returned as well as added names like Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou to the cast. The film did great for Paramount Pictures at the US Box Office bringing in $160,072,261.00 on a budget of only $61 million. A great film that took my # 1 spot and once released on home media I for sure bought a copy.

What a fun year of seeing movies at the theater as during these last stressful years, getting lost in films on the silver screen is a great way to relax and forget the issues that are plaguing the real world. And man I have to stress that so many amazing horror films got released this year and many are sequels to series that I really have enjoyed and glad to see horror alive and well at the cinema and I am looking forward to the films of 2022! While we are sitting here in the Rotten Ink Theater, I also want to think you for reading Rotten Ink as its amazing that this blog is now 10 years old, and I would also like to let you know that the next update will continue our look at the original cast Star Trek movies and we are on “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” so that should be a fun one. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie at the theater or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for another voyage with the crew of the Enterprise.